Prayer Talk

New posts have moved

2009-06-08T14:41:00.005-05:00

Due to technical difficulties with Blogger, my latest posts are at:

http://whygodwaits.wordpress.com

and http://prayertalk.wordpress.com

Praying missionary sees 60,000 baptisms in two years in China

2009-06-01T15:38:00.006-05:00

James O. Fraser, a talented musician and engineer, had to learn mission work at the China Inland Mission the hard way—by trial and error.

He came to the Yunnan Province of China in 1910 intending to reach the almost forgotten Lisu tribal people.

Fraser was an accomplished student of languages. Before long he had mastered the Lisu’s difficult dialect, and then proceeded to translate the Scriptures into their language. His work was later labeled the "Fraser Script".

Yet despite having the Scriptures translated into their language, the Lisu didn’t come to Christ in large numbers.

But then Fraser discovered the power of prayer.

One biographer said, "To know the real Fraser one needed to hear him in prayer. Prayer was the very breath of life to him, and in prayer he seemed to slip from time into eternity.

"Frequently the mountainside would witness the piercing, importunate pleadings of this man who counted his prayer-time not by minutes but by hours."

Fraser himself wrote: "How much of our prayer is of the quality we find in Hannah's bitterness of soul, when she prayed unto the Lord? How many times have we ever 'WEPT SORE' before the Lord? We have prayed much perhaps, but our longings have not been deep compared with hers.”

Fraser’s Hannah-like prayers finally started to pay off.

By 1916 God’s Spirit began to work powerfully among the Lisu, which brought about sixty thousand baptisms within only two years!

David Smithers reports, “The Lisu church continued to grow and eventually became one of the largest tribal Christian bodies in the world.”

Did you notice that the written chronicles of revival and successful mission work always report that seasons of intense prayer had to come first?

Posted by Keith Roberts

Prayer wins several people a day for years

2009-05-23T12:10:00.001-05:00

One of the most remarkable stories of prayer’s power happened during the life of John Hyde, an unlikely missionary to India in the late 1800’s.

He wasn’t considered the most talented missionary ever sent out. Partially deaf and tending to keep to himself, he found learning the complicated languages of India a stiff challenge.

But Hyde carried a heavy burden for the lost, which drove him to seek out better ways to win them, leading to his amazing emphasis on prayer.

Richard Klein describes it this way: “In 1904, Indian Christians and western missionaries gathered for the first of an annual series of conventions at Sialkot in what is today Pakistan. To support this time of spiritual renewal, John Hyde and his friends formed the Punjab Prayer Union, setting aside half an hour each day to pray for revival…

“By 1908, John Hyde dared to pray what was to many at the convention an impossible request: that during the coming year in India one soul would be saved every day. Three hundred sixty five people converted, baptized, and publicly confessing Jesus as their Savior. Impossible -- yet it happened. Before the next convention John Hyde had prayed more than 400 people into God's kingdom, and when the prayer union gathered again, he doubled his goal to two souls a day. Eight hundred conversions were recorded that year, and still Hyde showed an unquenchable passion for lost souls.”

J. Pengwern Jones recalls, "He was always on his knees when I went to bed, and on his knees long before I was up in the morning, though I was up with the dawn. He would also light the lamp several times in the night, and feast on some passages of the Word, and then have a little talk with the Master. He sometimes remained on his knees the whole day.”

Near the end of his life, "Praying" John Hyde wrote about the powerfully effective praying the Lord had allowed to come into his life:

"On the day of prayer, God gave me a new experience. I seemed to be away above our conflict here in the Punjab and I saw God's great battle in all India, and then away out beyond in China, Japan, and Africa. I saw how we had been thinking in narrow circles of our own countries and in our own denominations, and how God was now rapidly joining force to force and line to line, and all was beginning to be one great struggle. That, to me, means the great triumph of Christ. We must exercise the greatest care to be utterly obedient to Him who sees all the battlefield all the time. It is only He who can put each man in the place where his life can count for the most."

The apostle Paul would agree: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains." (Colossians 4:2 NIV).

(See this link for more.)

Understanding how Scripture impacts prayer

2009-05-12T16:31:00.003-05:00

I used to worry when people quoted Scripture, seemingly out of context, to build a fire under their devotionals.

It seemed to me they were using Scripture the way positive thinkers use affirmations, to stoke their psychological state with a triumphalist attitude.

"No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper" seemed to have more to do with Isaiah's prediction of Israel's renaissance after her time of captivity than a personal promise to a televangelist about avoiding bankruptcy.

But then I rediscovered Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (NIV).

Think about it. The writer of Hebrews counsels his readers to take this ancient Scripture from its original context and encourage themselves with it, producing contentment. Without hesitation, he uses verses spoken not to his readers, but to Joshua as he was taking the reigns of leadership from Moses during the exodus.

Joshua will face trials, which could disrupt his own contentment, so the Lord tells him, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (See Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 & Joshua 1:5).

And then the writer of Hebrews does it again in 13:6 - "So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (NIV).

He takes another Old Testament verse, pulls it partly from its context, and then applies it to his readers (see Psalm 118:6-7). And this context, taken from a song about victory in war, seems even further from daily life for the readers of Hebrews, who are struggling to hold on to faith in Christ amid persecution from fellow Jews.

When I realized this precedent - that I could take Scriptures written to people I don't even know, in situations I'll never experience, and apply them to daily struggle - I knew there was more power in prayer than I'd ever realized.

That's why you find so many prayers in Scripture that are reused later by other people in other situations.

Example: when attacked by three armies, King Jehoshaphat prayed parts of King Solomon's temple dedication prayer. Jehoshaphat used the prayer to "remind" God of His promises of protection to His covenant people (See 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 & 2 Chronicles 6:14:42).

You'll find several other examples like this, where people used Scriptures written before their time to empower their own prayers.

Go to this link to find a 40 day plan to use Scripture to enhance your prayers.

Does prayer change God's will?

2009-04-23T10:05:00.000-05:00

A fellow blogger (thetractorcab.wordpress.com) asked me an interesting question recently - does prayer change God's will?

Well, if prayer doesn't change (at the least) God's actions, then why pray? And If you pray, believing that prayer changes things, then what does it change?

I think I know why some people doubt that prayer changes God's will. They believe His will cannot change because He can't change. A perfect being doesn't need to change.

But to say that prayer won't change God's will is to have a limited view of that will. What is God's will? A monolithic structure? Is God tied to only one way of accomplishing His purposes?

In his wonderful, concise analysis called The Will of God, Leslie D. Weatherhead makes more sense on this issue than most writers. He says the will of God has many facets: God's "intentional will", His "circumstantial will" and His "ultimate will".

God's original intent (will) was that mankind live in a perfect paradise in complete harmony with Divinity. But Satanic evil, along with man's sovereign choices, hijacked that will.

So now God works from His "circumstantial will" - His will as adjusted within a universe now corrupted by toxic evil.

As an example, Weatherhead mentions illness. Why do we fight with all our prayers and medical skill against illness, and then claim it was "God's will" if the person dies? Were we fighting God's will all along?

It was never "God's will" that the world be swallowed up in sickness, death, suffering and evil, but now that it has been, His will works to reverse the curse.

Simple example: King Hezekiah became ill (not God's intentional will from the beginning) and prayed. He was healed (God's circumstantial will). If he had not prayed, he would not have been healed.(See 2 Kings 20).

God's "will" waited on Hezekiah's will. When he made his choice to pray, God's will acted.

Yes, God's "circumstantial will" - in which we now exist - can be changed by prayer... by prayers that change His working in particular situations where humans have a choice.

Does prayer change the will of God?

2009-04-14T22:20:00.004-05:00

I'm now working on a post, trying to answer this question - "Does prayer change the will of God?"

What do you think? Does prayer change God's will? Have you ever experienced it?

How do you dismount a moving carousel?

2009-04-09T14:33:00.005-05:00

I wrote about a fascinating creature called an Ichneumon in my book, Why God Waits For You To Pray. This small weasel-like creature can murder poisonous snakes up to a yard long, even after being bitten repeatedly.

So, how does this tough little character survive? Well, it never attacks a snake unless he's near a certain plant whose leaves produce anti-venom sap. When bitten, the ichneumon rushes to the plant, nibbles the leaves, recovers and then attacks the snake again.

I'm trying to pattern my prayer life after that animal's survival tactics. You see, when I've been too involved in life, in the problems of people and ministry, in combating the Serpent, etc. - then I need a prayer-break.

I'm not much good to anyone when I'm tired, discouraged, beaten down and generally overwhelmed by too many demands. Sometimes I even find myself avoiding people because of the drain on my spiritual electrical system.

And sometimes I'm like a kid on a carousel who wants off, but can't jump because it's still moving. I have to wait... wait for those times when I can retreat into prayer - that sublime land where all cares melt in the glow of the Father's warm acceptance.

Jesus had the same need. In the middle of crushing demands on his time, when news about him had spread throughout the land and crowds tugged at him to heal their kids and lead them out of Roman slavery, the word says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed". (Luke 5:16 NIV).

And the Lord demanded the same of his own disciples: "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" (Mark 6:31 NIV).

Jesus knew that a warrior's time spent sharpening his sword isn't wasted. In the battle, the time-investment pays off. That's why he told the disciples, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation". (Luke 22:40 NIV).

Maybe I should try that spiritual anti-venom stuff before the battle begins...

What a weird way to answer my prayer

2009-04-07T16:03:00.004-05:00

I just finished helping a young Hispanic family who stopped by our church building looking for help.

The husband (didn't speak English), the wife and four kids headed from Iowa to Florida, but hit something in the road a damaged a tire. After paying for the new tire, they had little money left. So, we helped with food and a little cash. (I don't think they've yet realized how far they have to travel to reach Pensacola from north Louisiana.)

After they left, it dawned on me - it had happened again!

Here's what I mean. I've often prayed to experience more of God. I know it won't make Him love me any more, but I sometimes pray for Him to come near and be more real to me.

That prayer has been answered again and again, but often in weird ways. And one of the weirdest (if that's a word) is this - He usually sends someone my way who's in need.

What an interruption. I'm praying to know the Almighty God on a sublime level, and He sends me people. Often very needy people. They interrupt my prayers and take a toll on my quiet time.

So, what gives? What's He trying to tell me? That I need more balance? That I should cut back on the devotional time (as anemic as it often is) and be more activist? That there'll be plenty of time in Heaven to get to know Him?

Or maybe He's trying to tell me that people are higher on His love list than on mine.

I'll admit it. It seems infinitely more appealing to me to love an infinite God than finite people. I'm like the Peanuts comic strip character who, when scolded for not loving mankind, said, "I love mankind. It's people I can't stand!"

But how can I love the Infinite God without caring for people? Since He is "close to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34), then when I draw near to God, I catch the aroma of suffering people. Maybe that's what He's trying to tell me.

The more I pray to know Him, the more He thrusts me toward broken people, so I'll rely more on Him to enter those gritty situations with me and make a difference.

What a weird way to answer my prayer. That ever happened to you?

Prayer can be a gentle hammer

2009-04-04T16:12:00.008-05:00

As a young preacher trying to get traction at my first church, I was assigned to visit a tough character who'd quit attending services... years before. I look back on it now and wonder if the folks thought, "He's new, let's see what he can do... we can always get another preacher!"

Anyway, I hesitantly agreed to go, but I had enough good sense to pray first. And as I prayed for this man, whom I barely knew, the tears inexplicably began to flow. I wanted him to find his peace in God. And it mattered to me.

When I arrived, he met me in the front yard of his modest, working class home. He'd been a highway worker for the state. Now retired, his health had begun to slip. I noticed that he limped, favoring one leg that had obviously been damaged sometime in his seventy-plus years. (I found out later that he had been run over by a highway department truck and lived to tell the tale.)

He and his wife seemed happy to see me. They soon invited me in, where we had coffee and I popped the question.

"If the Lord were to return right now, do you think you would go to heaven?"

He quickly admitted, "No, I know I wouldn't."

His refreshing honesty caught me a little by surprise (preachers regularly hear some quite creative excuses), but his answer was in character for a tough, no-nonsense working man like Jack.

In response to his candid remark, I said, "Did you know that you can be certain that you're going to heaven?" Then I read 1 John 5:13 to back up my point.

I continued to read verses and explain while he listened politely. Then I said, "Jack, if you'd like to be sure that you're going to heaven, and if you'd like to make things right with Jesus right now, I'll pray with you and then be on my way."

He agreed and wanted me to pray (but he wasn't ready for me to leave, yet).

When I finished praying, I looked up to see tears flowing down Jack's weather worn face.

Jack was a different man from that day forward. After that, he never missed an assembly of the church, and radiated a joy noticed by all.

He died six months later, assured of his place with Jesus. The gentle hammer of prayer had hit its mark - on both of us.

How to pray without being religious

2009-04-02T21:18:00.005-05:00

I've only been turned down once when asking, "Is it ok if I pray for you?"

His family had asked me to visit him in the hospital, and it didn't take me long to figure out that he wasn't a "religious" person. A rough character, he managed to be somewhat polite but wasn't sure why this preacher showed up in his room.

When I volunteered to pray for his obviously fragile situation, he retorted, "Oh, no! Don't pray for me... I've been such a bad person that God wouldn't hear any prayers about me."

Like a running back faced with an agile blocker, I tried to recover and find a way around his deal-breaking comment.

My only hope was to help him understand that God actually wanted to hear from him... that God was interested in him and knew all about his sin, yet was willing to forgive. It's called "the gospel". And when he heard it, he became actually eager for me to pray for him.

Most of the broken people of this world can't imagine that God would want them praying to Him. Their bankrupt self-esteem and their inventory of shoddy religious teaching from the past conspire to keep them on the outside looking into a confusing, elitist religious world.

Jesus died to change all that. And to make God the Father accessible to the brokenhearted.

When the Obamas traveled to England recently, Mrs. Obama caused a minor stir in the media when she actually touched the Queen during a photo session. That just isn't done. One doesn't touch Her Majesty.

Yet the Queen didn't seem to mind. Things must be changing.

King Jesus certainly didn't mind being touched. By lepers, by women of ill repute, by drunkards and gluttons, by the demonized... even by "sinners".

And He certainly doesn't mind hearing what you have to say.

What's left after religion?

2009-03-25T21:51:00.005-05:00

Are we looking at the horizon of religion's demise? Many experts predict the coming flat-line, at least the death of a certain kind of religion that has drawn the wrath of modern media & the culture it produces.

Several blogs I recently read encapsulated these feelings by pointing to a coming "collapse" of evangelical Christianity.*

Just one quote from "The Evangelical Collapse: A Statistical Analysis" will sum up the point: "According to George Barna: 'With its 195 million unchurched people, America has become the new mission field. America has more unchurched people than the entire populations of all but 11 of the world’s 194 nations.'"

In other words, religion, as we know it in the western world, has fallen on hard times and ever-hardening hearts. Our culture pays less and less attention to religious ideals, opting rather to almost-daily invent our "values" as we desire.

Maybe the idea of "religion" itself can't any longer juice up the imagination of postmodern mankind.

The word "religion" comes from the old Latin language meaning "to bind again" (cousin to the word "ligament"). And what culturally aware person today wants to be bound by anything? It doesn't seem to be in our 21st Century genes to accept restrictions, limits or chastisement of any kind.

So, if religion itself is a culturally endangered species, what will replace it?

Well, I think we can make an educated guess because it's happened before. Although ancient religion was never totally erased, it did have to move over and give way to a more powerful force (until that force was co-opted by religion itself and watered down to resemble the same old, same old).

The day Jesus arrived, the world was already swimming in religion. He didn't need to come here to start another one, not even a better one. Religion had failed. It had failed completely to bridge the breach between God and His corrupted creation. Ancient religion had littered the world with violence, gruesome sacrifices, racism, fear and hopelessness. So much for man's attempt to fix his problem with Divinity.

If you don't believe me, read the Apostle Paul's masterful analysis in Romans chapters seven and eight. Or read Jesus' laser-like summation in the Gospel of John: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (5:39-40 NIV).

So what did Jesus think should replace "religion"? Relationship. A relationship based on mutual love between Jesus and His disciple.

Religion binds. Those who aren't good at it soon lose hope; those who are talented at it soon develop spiritual pride.

But true relationship frees. It frees God to embrace us despite our evil, and it frees us to be embraced without fear.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV).

*"Why Do They Hate Us?" "The Coming Evangelical Collapse" "The Evangelical Collapse: A Statistical Analysis"

How to know God exists

2009-03-11T11:15:00.000-05:00

It seems that more atheists than Christians read this blog. At least, more atheists respond when I write something that hits a nerve.

That's because atheism has become tantamount to a religion, and those who "believe" in atheism have become more and more vocal. They've even become "evangelistic". Concerning my faith in God, an atheist recently wrote to me, "You can recant and become a whole person again. I hope that your reason someday helps you to see this."

That's a little scary. Christians throughout history who wouldn't "recant" have been murdered by the millions (as in Stalinist Russia and the French Revolution). And the stereotypical charge that people of faith eschew reason is common among secularists.

So, it seems time to write about how to know God exists. No, I can't prove to the partisan skeptic that God exists beyond any shadow of doubt (no one can). But I can show that it's more reasonable to believe in God than not.

Besides, those who say there's definitely no God can't prove it. No one can prove a negative. To prove that God doesn't exist (beyond a shadow of a doubt), you'd have to experience everything in existence, and go everywhere one can go (even the supernatural world) and then report to us, "I didn't find God".

So, how can one know that God exists? It's more simple than you think. You can know God exists because He visited earth and told us about Himself.

I'm sure you've probably figured it out by now - I'm speaking about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Messiah (Anointed). I'm saying that this Jesus was God in flesh.

Now, just me saying it (or millions saying it) won't make it true. There has to be some evidence that makes it more reasonable to believe it than not. So, what's the evidence?

It's found in the answers to these top ten questions about the man Jesus:

#10- "Was Jesus A Real Person?"

Yes, Jesus actually lived. No credible historian today would deny the existence of a carpenter & teacher from Nazareth named Jesus. The Bible gives his life history, but several non-biblical historians of his era also mention him. Josephus (AD 37-95) the Jewish historian wrote about him, and so did Roman historians Tacitus (AD 55-120) and Seutonius (born AD 120.)

#9- "Did Jesus Ever Claim To Be The Son Of God?"

Yes, several times. Once when attacked by his enemies, Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." Then he spoke of the miracles he had done, and asked "For which of these do you stone me?"
Their answer was, "We are not stoning you for these (miracles)… but because you, a mere man, claim to be God." (John 10:33.)

On another occasion they tried to kill Jesus because "he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18.)

Another time when his enemies tried to kill him, he had said, "Before Abraham was born, I am!" - claiming to be the "Jehovah" of Exodus 3:14. (John 8:58.)
He also said to his own disciples, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9.)

Even at his trial, when the High Priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus answered, "I am… And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62.)

Jesus definitely claimed to be God's Son.

#8- "Why Did People Believe His Claims; Weren't They Just Superstitious?"

People believed Jesus' claims because he proved them. How? By fulfilling all the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of God's own Son-the "Messiah."

For example, the prophet Micah (720 BC) predicted that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 & Matthew 2:3-6.)

Isaiah (740 BC) foresaw that Christ would heal the sick (Isaiah 53:4 & Matthew 8:17), and that he would be born of a virgin, and would be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6.) Isaiah also gave an extensive picture of the crucifixion of Christ 700 years before it happened! (Isaiah chapter 53.)

Daniel the prophet (600 BC) predicted that the Messiah would come during the Roman Empire (the fourth empire from Daniel's day) and establish God's Kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45.) Jesus fulfilled it. And the prophet Zechariah (520 BC) amazingly predicted that the Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver, which would be thrown back into the temple (Zech. 11:12-13.)

Also, in Psalm 16:10, King David (1,000 BC) predicted that Messiah would be raised from the dead (see Acts 2:27-32.) People in Jesus' day believed his claims because he fulfilled Divine prophecy.

#7- "Since The Bible Was Written So Long Ago, How Do We Know We Have The Words Jesus Actually Spoke?"

Because of the wealth of carefully hand-copied manuscripts-more than for any other ancient work. There are 13,000 ancient manuscripts for the New Testament alone! Compare that to only 7 for the works of Plato, 5 for Aristotle, 8 for Herodotus, and only 9 for Euripedes.

After years of study, scholar F.F. Bruce says, "There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament."

#6- "Did Jesus Actually Work Miracles?"

Yes, Jesus worked scores of miracles right in front of his enemies, yet they never denied it. And he worked so many miracles, that they can't be explained by "mass hypnosis" or "emotionally overwrought witnesses."

His enemies' only defense was to accuse him of working miracles by Satan's power, but Jesus answered, "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined…" (Luke 11:17.)

It wouldn't make sense for Jesus to do good, like casting out demons, by Satan's power-Satan would be destroying his own kingdom.

It's amazing that people today will deny that Jesus, or his disciples, ever worked miracles, yet no one in Jesus' day ever denied it. His enemies never denied it. And those who saw his disciples work miracles never denied it-they said, "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it." (Acts 4:16.)

#5- "Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross, Or Just Faint And Awaken Later?"

No one in Jesus' day, including his enemies, denied that he died on the cross.

After suffering an entire night of trials and beatings, and then being forced to carry the beam of his own cross, Jesus couldn't have survived the horrors of crucifixion. Besides that, he was crucified by professionals-four Roman soldiers whose job was to kill people. Letting a prisoner escape death would cost them their own lives-They wouldn't be fooled by one who just fainted.

#4- "Did Jesus Actually Rise From The Dead, Or Did His Disciples Just Hide The Body?"

On the third day after his death, Jesus literally came back from the dead. His spirit returned to his dead body (John 20:1-18.)

The disciples couldn't have moved Jesus' body; Pontius Pilate had posted a guard and sealed the tomb. But when Jesus came back to life, these guards were paralyzed with fear. Later, Jewish leaders paid them to say they had fallen asleep and the disciples grabbed Jesus' body (Matthew 28:11-15.) But falling asleep on guard duty meant the death penalty, yet these guards were never prosecuted.

How could Jesus' disciples have moved his body without overpowering the guards? And if the guards were asleep, how did they know what happened to the body?

#3- "Didn't The Disciples Just Mistake Jesus' Ghost For A Resurrection?"

No, Jesus actually appeared in bodily form. He spent over a month-40 days-with hundreds of his disciples after his resurrection. He ate meals with them, taught them and readied them to be his witnesses (Acts 1:3-8.) On one appearance Jesus said to them, "Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have" and then he ate fish with them (Luke 24:37-43.)

#2- "If Jesus Was The Son Of God, Why Didn't Everyone Believe Him?"

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said people fail to believe because Satan comes and steals the good news out of the hearts of hearers (Luke 8:12.)

He also said that religion itself can become a barrier to belief-to a group of religious Pharisees, Jesus said "you nullify the word of God for the sake of your traditions." (Matthew 15:6.) An insincere heart can poison the well of one's belief.

#1- "If Jesus Was Really The Son of God, Why Did He Let Himself Be Killed?"

Because his death and resurrection had a purpose.

After his resurrection, Jesus told his own disciples, "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms… This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations…" (Luke 24:44-48.)

The purpose of Christ's life, death and resurrection was to repair our broken relationship to the Father-the "forgiveness of sins." As the Holy Spirit later said through the Apostle Paul, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…By this gospel (good news) you are saved…"(1Cor. 15:1-4.)

Since every human being born after Adam's likeness has sinned-or "fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)-everybody needs their alienation from God repaired. Isaiah said that "your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you…" (59:2.)

Christ substituted himself for us-he went to hell on the cross so we don't have to go there ourselves. He was the sinless Son of God, yet he absorbed our sins so we could be free. All the guilt and shame of every sin-whether child molestation, murder, adultery, theft, lying, etc-all sin and shame were placed on him.

If you believe that he is the Son of God, raised from the dead, and that he did all this just for you, it will change you. You'll be, as Jesus described it, "born again" (John 3:3-18.)

He also said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16.)

Now, after looking at these top ten questions, you have some evidence. Some will mock, but many will come to the only logical conclusion - God exists because "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." (John 1:1, 14 NIV).

If God is real, why so many unhappy Christians?

2009-03-03T11:35:00.004-06:00

Atheists like Christopher Hitchens often argue that if God really exists, then why are so many religious people unhappy, partisan, mean-spirited and even sometimes violent?

They have a point. But it's based on a false assumption. The assumption is this: if a real God really operates in a person's life, then that person will be perfect, living as if he or she is already in Paradise, without any temptation to sin or moral failings.

This spiritually naive view can't grasp a basic phenomenon of interaction between God and man. That basic phenomenon is this - a man who walks with God, still walks on this earth. He is still human. And he has a spiritual enemy called Satan, who is trying to win him back to the dark side.

Trying to live the religious life on this fallen planet can be messy. That's because the spiritual quest to know God is a human endeavor. Although a real God is in it, so are real humans.

I know what you're thinking. Some claim the Name but don't walk the talk. Not all believers try sincerely. Hypocrisy abounds, but hypocritical behavior itself is a spiritual illness. Even if you subtract the hypocrites (which the Lord Himself will do - Matthew 13:24-43), that still leaves many sincere believers who struggle. Spiritual life on this planet doesn't happen in a vacuum, but in the middle of flawed human life.

Even prayer is a human exercise, finite man trying to communicate with the Infinite. Sometimes it can be sublime; sometimes it fails miserably.

And it fails, not because God isn't powerful enough, but because even redeemed man still has a sometimes-stubborn will. And God won't violate that sacred thing He created in us called sovereignty - our freedom of choice.

All of Jesus' great disciples, from Peter to John to Barnabus to Paul, exhibited flaws. The Bible pull no punches, but shows all the Messiah's followers to be human, moral warts and all.

In fact, Jesus didn't die for our good deeds but for our sins. He knew what He was getting. He isn't naive about who we are, yet He died for us anyway. And He continues to work with us despite the flaws, mistakes, sins, missteps and spiritual ignorance... and even those days when we don't feel like praying.

Faith "prays it forward"

2009-02-12T10:44:00.004-06:00

Terry Rush's recent blog post, Pray it forward, hit the mark.

He said that he'd often prayed and thanked God in advance, for his children's future. He thanked God several years in advance for their successful job interviews, and for keeping them from taking jobs that would harm them or diminish the kingdom of God.

What a powerful principle! And you find it sprinkled throughout the Bible.

When King David found out that God had plans to build a dynasty for David and his descendants, he thanked Him by saying, "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?... For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant." (2 Samuel 7:18-21 NIV).

Notice he said, "you have done this great thing". Actually, God hadn't done it yet. It was still in the future, yet David considers it already accomplished. Why? Because it was "for the sake of your word" - when God says it, it's already done!

Only faith motivates one to speak as David did (and to pray as he did). Faith comes by hearing, and faith also has a voice to speak what it hears - "'I believed; therefore, I have spoken.' And with that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak..." (2 Corinthians 4:13 NIV).

Like David, mature people of prayer know this principle. They know how to "pray it forward". They've learned how to pray (and speak) as if the future is already here.

Jesus highlighted the principle when he said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24 NIV).

To believe, or not to believe

2009-02-07T11:58:00.004-06:00

One thing you can say about this brave new world... everyone seems to be struggling to find some faith.

We hunger for hope. I'm sure you noticed the theme of President Obama's campaign. Agree with him or not, he touched a nerve and got elected.

People seem to be growing sicker of the strife, bickering, pessimism and hopelessness we've produced as a by-product of our secularized lives. We all crave to believe in something... something greater than ourselves, bigger than life, something that will bring inner peace and contentment.

Many are afraid no such thing exists. Thus the angst of this present culture reflected in the post modern morass of pointless (even by design) TV shows, cynical comedy, crooked leaders and the tendency to put thugs and gangsters on a golden pedestal. The earth seems to be spinning in the wrong direction; we call evil "good" and label good "evil" (or at least not very cool).

We can't even watch the Super Bowl without some manufactured "wardrobe malfunction" popping up just to make the point that the barbarians rule now and civilization has left the building.

Scientists, intellectuals, philosophers, mythologists, celebrities and even some clergy try to convince us that it doesn't matter, that nothing really has meaning, that nothing exists outside this natural world anyway. But how would they know? They've never been there.

They're like a school of fish trying to comprehend New York City. They have no frame of reference for it. Likewise, the un-spiritual man has no way to truly evaluate the spiritual, trans-natural world.

That's because it comes through revelation, not information.

And that's why prayer is so vital; revelation comes only after seeking and asking. Prayer opens the door to relationship with God.

So, to find a solid footing for your faith, put yourself in a subordinate position to God and ask. Then something remarkable happens. A whole new person is born inside you.

Jesus said, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3:6-7 NIV)

What disasters grow from prayerlessness?

2009-02-03T10:41:00.007-06:00

I heard a man say, "There are no accidents; just premeditated carelessness."

Makes sense to me. And it makes me wonder if the same holds true for disasters. It seems that most disasters in this world grow to maturity slowly, although they hit with shocking speed.

That's true of volcanic eruptions. And of cancer. And maybe even of attacks like Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Disasters take years to ferment and grow. If we could just learn to kill the thing in its growing stage...

Did you know that there were at least ten disasters in the Bible that grew directly out of the prayerlessness of God's people? You can look them up.

1. Israel under Joshua's leadership made an unauthorized treaty with the Gibeonite tribe because they didn't pray about the decision. And it came back to haunt them, causing war and plague for several generations. (Joshua 9:1-14).

2. Israel abandoned their prayer life and asked for a king (instead of Jehovah) to rule over them. Samuel warned them of their downfall, calling prayerlessness a "sin". (1 Samuel 12:6-23).

3. King Ahaziah died because he consulted an idol but refused to pray to his own God - Jehovah. (2 Kings 1:1-17).

4. King Saul lost his kingdom and then his own life due to prayerlessness. (1 Chronicles 10:13-14 & 13:3).

5. Uzzah fell dead and the Ark of God wasn't moved for three months due to prayerlessness. King David later admitted that they hadn't prayed about how they should move the Ark. (1 Chronicles 13:9-14 & 15:13).

6. King Asa's reign failed and he died in pain because he refused to pray. (2 Chronicles 16:7-12).

7. Jerusalem fell to Babylon and the people were taken captive because God couldn't find enough intercessors to pray for the city. (Ezekiel 22:30-31).

8. Jesus' disciples failed to cast out a demon because their prayer lives weren't up to the challenge from Satan. (Mark 9:28-29).

9. Jesus' disciples denied him and scattered because they failed to pray in the Garden. (Mark 14:37-38, 50).

10. Jesus condemned the church at Laodicea for their prayerlessness. They said, "I am rich... and do not need a thing". (Revelation 3:14-22).

It makes me wonder what good things I'm missing by neglecting prayer... and what disaster might be headed my way for the same reason.

Why I love atheists

2009-01-26T13:13:00.004-06:00

I've met a few atheists and have read the writings of several more. I have to confess that I love atheists. Why?

First of all, they love to think. Certainly not all of them do - they can march in mental lockstep with their own tribe like anyone else - but many of them love the cerebral pursuits, the intellectual life. They respect the power of reason and want to use it to free people from mythology and superstition.

Second, they don't like hand-me-down answers (at least many of them don't). They hear traditional societal arguments for this or that proposition, but prefer to try thinking for themselves. (I know I'm really generalizing, but stereotypes have a ring of truth.)

And another thing - atheists hate religious hypocrisy. Many of them seem to have been injured by religious bigots, so they leave traditional dogma and look for another answer. Admitting that God exists seems tantamount to agreeing that the hypocrites are right.

Atheists also seem sensitive to the evil in this world. They know that something isn't right with the universe, that the scheme of things has short-circuited. They tend to blame evil solely on human foolishness, which, as they see it, is supported and encouraged by religion.

While I certainly don't pretend to speak for their collective cause, I see a lot to like in many atheists.

That's because they want to pursue a robust mental life. And that pursuit has paid unexpected dividends for many of them.

Like C.S. Lewis, a well-known novelist and literature professor at both Oxford and Cambridge, who professed atheism by the age of 15. He later became a Christian after long conversations with colleagues J.R.R. Tolkein and Hugo Dyson, and after much reading and study. Lewis once said, "A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."

Or like Dr. Anthony G. N. Flew, eminent philosopher and former professor of the philosophy of religion at several universities, including Oxford and Aberdeen. Flew has been a figurehead in atheism for decades, but now professes to believe in God. He has not accepted Christianity, but believes that God created this universe.

Dr. Flew bases his conversion to theism on scientific evidence (especially new discoveries in DNA research). He has commented, “It now seems to me that the findings of more than fifty years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument to design.” He says he "had to go where the evidence leads".

Or like Lee Strobel, an atheist who worked as both a lawyer and investigative journalist for 14 years at the Chicago Tribune; he later converted to Christianity after a two-year study of the evidence for Christ's claims to be the Messiah. (Check out his website for an exclusive interview with Dr. Anthony Flew.)

So, I find some things I really like about atheists - especially the kind who aren't afraid to leave the tribe and search, on their own, for real answers... the kind with real intellectual courage.

But I love atheists for another reason. Because Jesus does.

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8 NIV

Is atheism a form of denial?

2009-01-21T11:09:00.002-06:00

How could atheism be a form of denial?

Well, look at the definition of denial. According to an encyclopedia of mental disorders, refusal to acknowledge the existence or severity of an unpleasant reality is called "denial".

If one associates belief in God with unpleasant realities - such as facing eternal judgment, having one's lifestyle evaluated by a Higher Power, having to yield one's life to an absolute standard of behavior, admitting that man will never perfect his world, or even yielding to the supposed requirement to join an organized religious group - then denial seems quite possible.

I'm sure atheists would deny they're in such denial. Usually they claim that they know God doesn't exist. And they make that claim based on several ideas.

Some bitterly attack organized religion and blame it for all the world's ills, therefore reasoning that religion itself is godless (not exhibiting god-like behavior). For some reason, this recognition of human foolishness is supposed to prove that a Supreme Being doesn't exist.

Some claim God doesn't exist because, they say, it isn't logical to believe in an "invisible" trans-natural reality. They posit the scientific method as the best (and only) way to know anything about reality. Since God can't be subjected to the scientific method, He can't be proven to exist. If He can't be proven by this method to exist, then He must not exist.

Some take note of the evil in this world, then point to religious claims that God is all-powerful and cares about human life - and they find a contradiction. If God supposedly cares, and is powerful, then why, they ask, does He allow evil to exist?

Each of these ideas (and all the other atheistic challenges to belief in God that I've seen) have one thing in common - they attempt to use the rational mind to understand and challenge the phenomenon of faith in God.

But that's like trying to take one's blood pressure with a thermometer. Or like trying to measure wind speed with a crescent wrench. The tool doesn't fit the job.

It's not that faith in God isn't rational (I don't remember reading "leap of faith" in the Bible). But faith's rationale stands on a higher grade of evidence than what's used to prove scientific fact. Faith rests on revelation not information. And the rational mind can't always grasp revelation. It can't reason its way to enlightenment.

Like an animal rummaging for food in the woods while ignoring a lost $100 bill, the rational mind "does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV).

So, how does one come to that place of spiritual discernment? How would an atheist, or even an agnostic, who's toying with the idea of seeking that higher discernment... how would he or she go about it?

Follow the advice of the wisest man who ever lived. He said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." -Jesus

Is prayer a waste of time?

2009-01-09T19:10:00.004-06:00

Silas Shotwell once told about Charles Francis Adams, a 19th century diplomat, who spent a day with his son and recorded it in his diary by saying, "Went fishing with my son today - a day wasted."

But his son, Brook Adams, wrote in his own diary, "Went fishing with my father - the most wonderful day of my life!"

How often do we pray and walk away thinking nothing much happened? How often do believers minimize prayer by considering it a mostly weak, wasted exercise?

And yet some of the world's most powerful events came through prayer:

Abraham saved his family from being destroyed with Sodom - Genesis 18-19.
Isaac rescued the chosen family line by praying for his barren wife - Genesis 25:21.
Jacob escaped Esau's murderous wrath by prayer - Genesis 32:9-12 & 33:4.
Israel prayed and Jehovah rescued them from Egypt - Exodus 2:23-25.
Moses interceded and saved Israel from annihilation - Exodus 32:7-14.
Hannah secured Israel's future by praying for, and bearing, a son named Samuel - 1 Samuel 1:9-20.
Elijah stopped the rain for over three years and brought revival to idolatrous Israel by prayer - 1 Kings 17 & 18 (James 5:17-18).
King Jehoshaphat called a prayer assembly and Jehovah saved Judah from being invaded by three nations - 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by prayer - John 11:41-44.
Jesus prayed and the Holy Spirit came upon the church - John 14:16-17.
Jesus protected His infant church by prayer - John 17.
Jesus found strength to endure the cross by prayer - Luke 22:39-46.
Jesus prayed His own resurrection into reality - Hebrews 5:7.
The church's power on earth began in a prayer session - Acts 1:14 & 2:1-41.
Prayer fills the supernatural realm, moving God's eternal plan forward - Romans 8:26 & 8:34; Revelation 6:9-10; 8:3-5.

"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain, night and day." -Alfred Lord Tennyson

Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible

2009-01-07T15:34:00.001-06:00

Catch this moving video of atheist entertainer Penn Jillette as he thinks about a man who gave him a Bible after one of his performances.

Atheist admits God changes people

2009-01-01T10:01:00.007-06:00

With growing attacks on Christianity by secularists during Christmastime, and with a vast wasteland of mostly anti-God media daily encouraging them, it's been an interesting holiday season. Who ever thought Christmas would become controversial?

But right in the middle of this growing skepticism against spiritual things, something amazing happened, which seems to have gone mostly unnoticed.

An atheistic columnist for the London Times courageously admitted in December that Christianity remains the best hope for the African people. Why? Because, he says, it truly changes them.

Matthew Parris, who spent his childhood in Nyasaland (now Malawi), recently returned 45 years later to observe one of The Times Christmas Appeal's charities called Pump Aid, which provides water pumps to needy villages.

Parris, who also traveled Africa extensively during his college years, always respected the Christian missionaries for their practical help (he even made sure to camp near their missions for safety reasons on his travels), but he now admits that they provide much more. In his article, As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God, he characterizes the African mindset as still in bondage to "tribal groupthink" and admits that it will have to be replaced with something else if Africa is to stand tall in the new century.

And the very thing he proposes to replace it with is... Christianity. Why? Because it provides the individual a personal link to a personal God.

As Parris puts it, Christianity's "teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being" has the power to break through the tribalism and pessimism of a people who feel they have no control over natural events.

He ends this article by saying, "Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete."

This remarkable admission grew out of Matthew Parris' observation of a true life replica of a Biblical principle. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers that a strong dose of spirituality (being personally linked with the Father) would end their quarreling, strife and division (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 & compare it to 2:12-16).

When believers (and churches) major in spiritual growth rather than controversies, we become interconnected in healthy relationships within the Body. The Spirit can work, not being grieved (Ephesians 4:30) nor quenched (1 Thess. 5:19) by our foolishness in chasing selfish issues and agendas.

And when the Spirit works, life in the church flourishes in healthy ways. Love becomes the glue holding us together in a heaven-like existence where each individual believer has dignity and worth.

If even atheists recognize true life when they see it...

How does renewal happen?

2008-12-15T22:32:00.001-06:00

Did you ever notice how organizations tend to begin with optimistic enthusiasm about the future, but then decay over the years into bureaucracy and finally death? (Sound familiar in the days of bail-outs and problems at the Big Three auto makers?)

Sadly, churches aren't immune from the disease. Even in the New Testament, Jesus told one church, "I wish that you were hot or cold! But you are only warm - not hot, not cold. So I am ready to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16 ERV).

This First Century church had already decayed to the point that Jesus Himself found it sickening. Tragic! And if it happened as far back as the time of the apostles, it's obvious that it happens today... and has happened often throughout history.

So, what's the answer to this recurring problem?

Renewal. The kind of spiritual renewal that has periodically exposed hypocritical church leaders and brought disturbing infusions of spiritual power to the Body of Christ ever since apostolic times.

How does such renewal happen?

Well, after 27 years in the same church, I've seen it happen... several times. And I've seen our church walk a long journey from the days of stiff religiosity to becoming a loving, praying, spiritually oriented family.

I don't pretend to be an expert on group renewal, or even spiritual renewal, but I can list some milestones we've seen along the path.

1. An emphasis on prayer. We've had a regular Tuesday night prayer meeting since 1994. We now emphasize prayer in various ways, but that didn't start until after several years of classes and sermons on prayer and its place in our life as a church. We didn't know it at the time, but God was renovating our focus, our emphasis as a church. As the apostles said in Acts 6:4 after turning much of the physical ministry over to deacons, "we will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

When leaders teach, model and emphasize prayer, the church heads toward renewal.

2. A minimizing of controversies. As the apostle Paul wrote to the young preacher Timothy, he emphasized "Warn (the church) before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen... Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly... Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel..." (1Timothy 2:14-26 NIV).

Churches that swim in the atmosphere of brotherhood issues, controversies and doctrinal wrangling can't grow spiritually. In fact, the Bible says you can measure spiritual growth (or the lack of it) by a church's attitude toward controversies and arguments (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

3. A commitment to serious, in-context Bible study. Believers need to hear the word of life regularly. They need to hear it in context, without it being forced into some mold to fit the teacher's private interpretation. When a church emphasizes Bible study and regular Bible reading, members will grow in their faith and spiritual walk.

Churches that try to attract more people by shallow, semi-biblical junk food can't produce solid disciples. Such churches become a mile wide and an inch deep.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17 NIV).

4. A submission to the Holy Spirit. I know. That's controversial in many circles. But it's Biblical. In fact, if you examine the churches that find the Spirit controversial, you'll often find a distinct lack of spirituality. You'll see a church in desperate need of renewal.

Next time you read the Book of Acts underline every reference to the Holy Spirit. When I did so in the New International Version, I found Him mentioned 57 times in 28 chapters! And those references paint a picture. The Spirit was running the show. He was empowering the disciples to preach Christ in dangerous places. He was connecting preachers with prospects, sending missionaries to very specific places, forbidding them to go to other places and generally organizing and leading the church in her mission of preaching the gospel in a hostile world.

But, is what happened in Acts a guide for how the Holy Spirit wants to work in today's church? If not, why do we have the Book of Acts preserved? To give us a dry history book of what used to happen? And if Acts isn't a guidebook describing the Spirit's permanent place in the church's mission, why do the letters written to the churches also emphasize cooperation with the Holy Spirit?

In a world that's growing darker by the day, we can forget church as usual. Like the comment attributed to financial guru Warren Buffett about tough economic times, "You find out who's been swimming naked."

In the present spiritual warfare on this planet, we're finding out which churches are "swimming naked". It's time to find the the spiritual courage to submit to the kind of renewal we haven't seen since the Holy Spirit put Christ's church on the map... "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Acts 4:31 NIV).

Keys to praying in the Holy Spirit (2)

2008-12-09T15:20:00.004-06:00

It's becoming more obvious that nothing in the Christian life works without the backing of the Holy Spirit.

In Olympia, Washington at the state capitol where the governor allowed a nativity scene (and other religious symbols) to be displayed, she also allowed atheists to place a sign near the nativity expressing their view.

According to Fox News, the sign read: "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens our hearts and enslaves our minds."

So it's clear that we live in an unbelieving age, which is becoming progressively more secular. Which reminds me (or anyone else with even a casual interest in history) of the French Revolution.

During that revolution, Christianity became illegal in France. You can often find articles today written about the "dechristianization of France" that took place in 1789-93. So, how did the revolutionaries attempt such a goal?

They destroyed churches, murdered priests, made worship and Christian education illegal, destroyed crosses, bells and other outward symbols of Christianity, changed the days of the week to exclude Sunday, developed the "Cult of Reason" based on atheism and secularism, and wrote laws giving the death penalty to priests who wouldn't resign, and to people who harbored them. Then, they celebrated the Goddess "Reason" in Notre Dame cathedral.

But the cultural atmosphere of the French Revolution wasn't that different from the situation into which the early church was born. The First Century church found herself in a culture that couldn't tolerate her stand on revealed truth. Civilizations that pride themselves on being tolerant often can't tolerate anyone who claims to know truth. (Sound familiar?)

So today's church faces a rerun of the same cultural bias and bigotry that reigned in the past. We live in an increasingly secular (and hostile) world that has no use for us. (For more information on worldwide persecution of Christians, see Voice of the Martyrs website.)

There are two possible reasons they have no use for us: one could be that we're standing on revealed (inconvenient) truth. But another, more frightening, reason could be that we've become like the church that triggered such hatred during the Revolution - a hypocritical, self-serving, arrogant, tradition-bound, unloving group of religious people.

Without a personal walk with God, through prayer, we all can become what we detest most.

So, we'll never succeed at being light and salt without the power of the Holy Spirit. Dead churches will continue to wither away (with lots of help from a mocking culture) while churches that are full of the Holy Spirit's life and leading will flourish.

Read the Book of Acts, where the Holy Spirit gets mentioned 57 times in 28 chapters (NIV). What does that tell us?

And those references to the Spirit show Him leading, empowering, setting policy, rooting out church hypocrites, choosing mission fields, revealing future dangers and testifying to the risen Christ - the only hope for a culture saturated with evil and blinded by unbelief.

Since the Holy Spirit has been sent to the church on earth to lead, teach and empower her, hasn't He also been sent to teach her to pray?

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13 NIV).

Keys to praying in the Holy Spirit

2008-12-05T10:54:00.000-06:00

What does it mean to pray in the Holy Spirit?

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God..." (Jude 1:20-21 NKJV - emphasis mine).

From this verse, it seems ordained that Christians somehow "pray in the Holy Spirit". So what does that mean? And how can the believer do it? Is it a form of ecstasy, a feeling, a transcending this life into a trance, an experience of speaking in tongues, a mountaintop that only a few can experience?

Well, if it's something all believers should experience (according to Jude), it should be available to all, not just the super-spiritual.

When you think about the phrase - pray in the Holy Spirit - then you'll find some keys to praying that way.

The word "in" (en in the Greek) is a preposition - it describes position... "in the house" or "in the car". Christians are "baptized in water" and "baptized in the Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:47-48 & 11:15-16).

This means that God changed our positional relationship to the Spirit. We once had no relationship to Him, but now we are "in" Him and He is "in" us!

So if I'm praying in the Holy Spirit, I'm praying in relationship to Him. I'm not praying "in the flesh" but I'm praying in the Spirit. I'm letting Him control my thinking. Since the Holy Spirit lives in me, I'm "controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit" (Romans 8:5-8 NIV).

As I'm praying in concert with what the Spirit is praying, He "intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26-27 NIV) and "by him we cry 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8:15-16 NIV).

This all happens because the Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 6:19), because we have the right to be filled with Him (Ephesians 5:18) and because we dwell in Him and "are not in flesh but in Spirit" (Romans 8:9 Literal Bible).

So, just as the fish is in the water and the water is in the fish, believers dwell in the environment of the Holy Spirit. When that believer prays, he or she prays "in the Holy Spirit".

The easiest way to understand it is to ponder this: what would it mean to "pray in the flesh"? Well, the flesh is selfish, competitive, unholy, bent on doing its own will, uncaring, curious about evil, full of unhealthy desires, etc. Prayer in the flesh is prayer to get what I want so I can race ahead of everyone else. Prayer in the flesh can even be religious - "God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector." (Luke 18:11 NIV).

So, praying in the Holy Spirit happens when spiritual people pray... and pray in concert with the Holy Spirit Himself.

(See more in H.A. Ironside's article on praying in the Holy Spirit.)

Would you like to meet God?

2008-12-02T09:47:00.003-06:00

Someone once asked a famous talk show host (Dick Cavett, I think) which guest would be his most prized "get" - who would he most like to interview to boost ratings.

He replied, "I'd really like to interview God."

That would be a "get"! I'm sure all eyes and ears would be locked in for that one.

But can a person really meet God? Can one know God, not just know about Him? Is it possible to know God with an intimacy that transcends just attending church and casually reading the Bible?

Well, think about how Jesus described eternal life... "that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3 NIV).

Jesus characterized his whole mission as helping us know the Father, not just know about Him. He wants us in a living, walking, talking relationship with the Holy God of the entire universe, the Mind who spoke and created it all!

So, how does that work? How does one get to know God?

Well, think of two young people on a college campus who meet and become fascinated with each other. They date. They spend time together. They want to explore each other and soon they're building a "relationship". Before long, they marry. They spend their lives growing in their knowledge of each other and the relationship deepens, becoming more and more sophisticated in its intimacy. Relationships like that take time and they're built on purpose.

Or think of a friend of yours who meets a famous person and spends the day with her. What's your first question? "What was she really like?" You assume that interacting with a person will begin to reveal his or her true personality.

So, getting to know God demands a way of life tuned to His frequency, a life given over to seeking Him through all obstacles and interruptions. It means pursuit. It means loving Him with a passion that won't let go. (You know, the way He loves you - with no exceptions and no wavering.)

It's like climbing Mount Everest, not just because it's there, but because the One you love is at the summit. Such passion for God will usher you into this "knowing Him" sooner or later.

If that sounds a little intimidating, a little too much, take Paul's advice. He says that such a life of knowing God is not only possible, but it's within your reach through prayer. Watch how he prays for the church to know God:

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (Ephesians 1:17 NIV).

Did you catch that? As an answer to prayer, God will give you the wisdom and insight to know Him better. Pray that way, and you'll begin to intimately know God in ways you can't yet imagine.

Paul also writes, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith... that you, being rooted and established in love... may be filled to all the measure of the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV).

As fallible humans, it takes wisdom, insight and spiritual strength to be prepared to know God intimately. But, the good news is this - you can have these through a serious, dedicated prayer life.

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord... growing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10 NIV).

Can I be a Christian without being religious?

2008-11-28T11:16:00.007-06:00

Religion isn't making it any easier for people of faith. With terrorist attacks in the name of God and narrow minded propaganda in the name of truth at an all time zenith, the sincere believer gets lumped in with the barbarians.

Late night TV comedy and the internet continue to push hard to expel religion, which many see as toxic, from modern life. They reason that a world without religion would be a peaceful place where all could live up to their potential. A place where logic and reason rule, causing superstition to disappear.

Talk about being delusional.

A quick glance at history turns up Stalin's atheistic experiment that murdered millions and Hitler's racist Reich that had no use for Christian principles - "Christianity is an invention of sick brains" as he once famously said.

So civilization's problem isn't religion, but evil hiding behind the veneer of religious practice. Evil that creeps into the folds of religion and infects it with human selfishness and pride.

I tend to oversimplify, but it seems that all valuables have a corresponding counterfeit. One's true relationship with the Supreme Being should be the goal of religion. But religion has become an end unto itself, like a gigantic government that once began in order to benefit the public, but now merely protects its own existence.

Therefore, we have toxic religion. So, what is this toxic religion? What distinguishes it from true faith?

It's summed up in Jesus' statement, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27 NIV). The Pharisees' hard hearts and slavish attention to man made religious details caused them to forget compassion for people.

Religious ideals should lead people to a healthier relationship with God and with fellow human beings. Religion that leads in the opposite direction is toxic.

It's this toxic form of religion that's now the butt of jokes and draws the ire of thinking people worldwide.

So how can one be a Christian without being religious (in the toxic sense)? By focusing on one's relationship to the Father. And by serving others in love (See James 1:26-27).

Both of these objectives demand prayer. And they demand that our churches become "houses of prayer" and loving harbors for shipwrecked people. We can't continue to ignore the great Biblical themes of love, compassion and spiritual formation without paying the price of becoming toxic.

It's time to drop the religious pretense and be authentic. Authentic believers in a risen Lord who cares about all humanity. Authentic believers who are willing to risk it all to serve Him and the people He created.

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him... Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another." (1 John 4:8-11 NIV).

What does faith say on Thanksgiving Day?

2008-11-26T09:18:00.005-06:00

Giving thanks isn't just a wimpish "counting your blessings" and trying to pretend that reality isn't so harsh after all.

Giving thanks takes maturity. It demands a spiritual sophistication that understands the connection between faith and thanksgiving.

One can't truly thank God without having faith. That's because faith gives voice to what it believes:

"But the righteousness that is by faith says... That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord'... it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved... for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 10:6-13 NIV).

Notice that faith does a lot of verbalizing. And one thing faith verbalizes is thanks for what God has done... and will do.

A muscular faith will always find ways to thank God for what He is doing.

Note this video and enjoy a great Thanksgiving!

www.biblesociety.ca

Ever heard of Black Friday?

2008-11-20T10:00:00.004-06:00

Ever heard of Black Friday? It's the Friday right after Thanksgiving when all the stores run sales to get a head start on the Christmas shopping season.

Although black Friday isn't an official holiday, many workers take that day off, adding to the huge crowds. This gave rise to the title "black Friday" which supposedly originated in Philadelphia, PA due to the heavy traffic that day.

This year's black Friday (November 28th) promises to be interesting, due to the economic problems this year. Despite all the sales and coupons, will the day be as big as usual, or will people hold off on spending until later?

But here's a bigger question... will the war and our economic woes nudge us toward a deeper spiritual walk with God? Will these conditions make us downplay black Friday for something greater, like bright Sunday?

Maybe we should. Maybe our whole nation, our whole world, has been so caught up in greed and materialism that we couldn't think straight. While we've been partying at the Materialism Ball, our spiritual lives have been scattered all over the map. We've seen the growth of cults and paganism, along with an incessant attack on Christians from skeptics bent on replacing Biblical beliefs with secular-anity (a religion in itself).

While they have every right to do so under our legal system, Christians should know that we are under attack. The rules have changed. We get no special respect, no quarter because we're trying to do the right thing.

We must stand up for what we believe - or even better, stand up for what the Bible teaches. And we must develop Christians with steel backbones, like the persecuted believers in much of the world today. It may be our turn next.

How can we stand up for what's right without a serious spiritual life, one strong enough to back up such bold action? You can't be a Daniel, a David or a Paul without the framework of hours of dedicated prayer.

That's why the Spirit says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes... and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV).

The hairy side of prayer

2008-11-13T10:22:00.011-06:00

I used to think that prayer was only for the weak.

You know, for those people who couldn't cope with life, so they leaned on the crutch of thinking that there's some divine entity who actually cares about their meaningless little lives.

Boy, was I wrong! Prayer, when you use it to tackle real life, is like the trek up Mt Everest. Or like a safari into the wild with danger at every turn.

Or like bull-rider Ed Rowell's comment about the first time he ever preached a sermon - he had found a replacement for the adrenalin rush he got each time he was nearly killed in the rodeo (see Preaching With Spiritual Passion).

"Prayer" seems like such a tame word for such a hair-raising, heart-pounding, life-altering experience. It's like a pro football player saying he "bumps into people" on Sunday. No, he crashes into people!

So, maybe we should rename "prayer". Call it cosmic combat. Call it warfare in the spirit world. Call it encountering El Shaddai face to face. Call it venturing into demonic territory and destroying strongholds with mere words - words pulsing with faith.

Whatever you call it, true prayer is a draining, sometimes scary, spirit-twisting, world-changing combat operation that can alter the course of history, even Divine history.

The championship prayer warriors of Scripture knew that.

Daniel did some combat praying for three weeks while an angel, who was sent to answer his prayer, mounted an assault on Satan's territory and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat in the invisible spirit world (Daniel 10:12-21).

While angels fought, Daniel prayed. And he didn't give up. He wouldn't quit, even when his answer didn't show up the first day. He understood that combat praying sets in motion overwhelming cosmic forces - like the President giving his OK to start the D-Day invasion of World War II. Once you engage the enemy, you can't waver.

And Daniel wasn't the only one. Paul praised Epaphras, the preacher at Colossae, because "He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured." (Colossians 4:12 NIV). This amazing preacher knew how to go to war in prayer for his flock.

And even Jesus won his greatest battle on earth by using prayer as his weapon against Satan - "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." (Hebrews 5:7 NIV).

Are you one of those? One of those who can hold on and pray despite hell's attack? I've know people like that. And I've seen them get results.

But more than that, I've seen them touch the face of God through their unwavering courage in prayer.

What if there is no God?

2008-11-05T10:54:00.005-06:00

When you write about prayer, you work from this fundamental assumption - God, an actual, real Presence to whom we pray, exists.

But we're almost overwhelmed today with skeptics who deny that same assumption.

Many of them find work as successful, professional mockers hiding behind a pseudo-intellectual mask while railing at religion in general, Christianity in specific and the very idea of God.

While such people might be irritating to the believer, we still should face the question... what if they're right? What if there is no God?

Then several things must be relatively obvious. If there is no God...

1. Mankind is the most advanced life form we know. He stands at the top of the animal kingdom with no being above him. Note how man has devised ways to master his environment and manipulate it to his advantage. Despite the protests of environmentalists, just look at man's dominance over the animal kingdom around him.

2. Therefore, man has no "umpire" to buffer his actions. If man is supreme, he can make the rules, enforce them as arbitrarily as he pleases, and change them to suit the "values" in vogue at the time. "Justice" gets defined only by the whim of the times.

3. Individual human beings mean little. They have no real existence nor any special intrinsic value unless they can serve the ends of the tribe. The individual is a brief candle, burning for a while and then being extinguished by time's winds and passing into oblivion.

4. Cognition of any objective reality outside the self is a hoax. One's thoughts are merely electrochemical events signifying nothing special. The individual life is meaningless.

5. Villains, victims and heroes are only defined in the eye of the beholder. One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. There is no objective truth, so each fights for his own version of "truth".

6. All human aspiration becomes pointless. One can try to leave a legacy behind for future generations, but the individual will never see those aspirations come true. No one lives long enough to see any transcendent desires come to fruition.

7. Violence becomes a legitimate tool to get one's way. Although we protest it and decry it... in the Godless world, violence still works and has no lasting, meaningful consequences to the perpetrator (even the death penalty is merely a relatively painless shove into oblivion for the one who kills).

8. If there is no God to reveal a higher life to us, Hitler is no worse than Jesus. Stalin (and all the other secularist dictators who murdered millions) merely did what any other cunning super-animal would do - destroy the competition.

Depressing, isn't it?

Which leads to another question? Why, despite all the problems and contradictions in religion, do people still hope there is a God, and a better way?

Solomon, the wise Jewish king, explained it this way: "He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men..." (Ecclesiates 3:11 NIV).

We crave a better way because we have an antenna planted in us that responds to the eternal, the supernatural.

Like a man trying to check the temperature with a crescent wrench, the secularist wrongly assumes he can understand the supernatural with human capabilities. The supernatural doesn't come by investigation but by revelation. And that revelation comes primarily through God's Spirit as He uses the Bible to reveal God to man.

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned... But we have the mind of Christ." -1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NIV.

What is spirituality? (3)

2008-10-22T14:28:00.003-05:00

I love this old story; I think it came from Naval Times magazine several years ago:

The ship's captain strained to see ahead in the darkness and saw faint lights headed toward him. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message:

"Alter your course 10 degrees south."

Promptly a return message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north."

Angered, the captain sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am the captain!"

The reply was: "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am seaman third class Jones."

Immediately the red-faced captain sent a third message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am a battleship!"

Then the reply came "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am a lighthouse."

Here's why I laugh at that story every time I read it: it's funny when the absolutes of life rudely confront people who don't believe that life has absolutes. Watching them try to avoid the absolutes can be great entertainment. Or it can be sad.

I feel some of that sadness when I see churches try to avoid the obvious conclusion: the Holy Spirit came to earth to oversee the church's effort to spread the gospel. The Father rules from His throne in heaven, the Son reigns glorified at His Father's right hand, but the Holy Spirit is here. He's on earth to guide the church to victory in her assignment.

So many of us spend so much time trying to avoid that. We search for just the right program, the right preacher, the right book on church growth, the right entertaining agenda, the right seminar speaker, the right... well, you understand.

These things are fine in themselves, but they aren't the answer. The answer is to deepen the church so she can grow wider. A "spiritual" group of people will have little or no problem attracting converts or keeping them.

Here's an illustration. When the church at Antioch wanted to launch new missions to the Gentiles, their prophets and teachers gathered to fast and worship the Lord (unique idea... wonder if that would work today?).

When they did so, "The Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabus and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" (Acts 13:1-3 NIV).

Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit said? The Holy Spirit has a voice? He can speak and make Himself understood by the church? And He intends to guide the program Himself? Amazing.

And notice this. After the church at Antioch had "fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off."

Look at how, from then on, the Spirit actually "micromanaged" Paul's work:

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to." (Acts 16:6-7 NIV - emphasis mine).

The Holy Spirit aggressively led the early church through her mission. As you read the 28 chapters of the Book of Acts, you'll notice the Holy Spirit mentioned 57 times (NIV)! He was running the operation.

So, to be "spiritual", a church today must recognize the absolute authority of the Holy Spirit over her work on earth.

"And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ... those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:9,14 NIV).

What is spirituality? (2)

2008-10-20T16:05:00.004-05:00

Does spirituality make life better? That's the assumption, isn't it? That if one pursues a deep spiritual life, their natural life will be happier, more complete.

Why do we assume that to be true? Well, we hear it often from preachers, pundits and other voices pushing us toward a higher life.

Yet I think the assumption (that spirituality increases well being) comes mostly from own experience. The happiest people I know are those who hunger to be spiritual the way a plant stretches toward the light.

In fact, happiness (joy) tops the "fruit of the Spirit" list (Galatians 5:22). Which brings me to the main point: one can't truly be "spiritual" without the Holy Spirit.

Notice how the Holy Spirit radically changed Jesus' own disciples and caused them to grow in spirit:

Jesus had nicknamed James and John "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17) - probably because of their hostile approach to any who weren't part of the group (Mark 9:38) and their eagerness to call fire from heaven down on those who insulted Jesus (Luke 9:54).

Yet, after the coming of the Holy Spirit, John later writes, "We should love one another... Anyone who does not love remains in death... Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 3:11; 3:14; 4:8 NIV).

And Peter had the same radical experience. Although seemingly bold and assertive, when the crisis came he wilted. After protesting to Jesus, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death", Peter couldn't even admit that he knew his Master when the trial started (Luke 22:33, 54-62).

But after his encounter with the Holy Spirit, Peter preaches boldly in Acts chapter two to the same mob that shouted for Jesus to be crucified. And he even went against fifteen centuries of Jewish law, entered a Gentile's home and spoke the gospel to the Centurion's family (Acts chapter ten).

So true spirituality hinges on one's relationship to the Holy Spirit. If He is present and active in your life, He will increase the strength and and maturity of your spirit.

"People who do not have God's Spirit do not accept the things that come from His Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot understand them, because they can only be understood with the Spirit's help. " (1 Corinthians 2:14 ERV).

What is spirituality?

2008-10-09T09:35:00.007-05:00

I've often had people say to me, "I'm actually a very spiritual person... I just don't attend church."

As the conversation progresses, I can usually tell the person doesn't have a comprehensive definition of spirituality, nor a grasp of the Bible's definition of it. They also tend to live life on their own terms, skeptical of joining the community of man in any meaningful way.

I know. Those are generalities. And they certainly don't apply to all the church-avoiders who claim to be spiritual. But it's been my experience that the generalities above generally hold true... which tells me that many remain locked-in to a cafeteria style of spirituality - choose a little from this TV talk show or from that religion, or some from this tradition or that one.

So, what is spirituality? I mean, what is true spirituality, according to the revealed, Biblical point of view?

Well, first of all, a spiritual person believes in (and seeks) the spirit world... a realm of existence outside time and space that we can't experience directly with the five senses. And he or she believes that such a world is more complex and detailed than even the natural world we see.

In the Bible, the word "spiritual" comes from the word PNEUMA, a Greek word meaning "air", "wind" or "breath". This word paints the portrait of an environment in the ethereal, invisible regions of God's creation.

Since God Himself is "spirit" (John 4:24), most of His creation could be defined as "spirit" or "spiritual". In fact, the natural world we can experience with the five senses grew out of the invisible, the supernatural. When God created the world, He did it from the pre-existent, supernatural realm.

And since He also created the spirit realm, the people He labels "spiritual" focus their energies, goals, hopes and their whole lives on the spirit realm. They want a life there and plan to live in that realm forever.

Labeling someone as "spiritual" compares to calling someone an "American citizen". It describes the person by describing his origins and cultural environment.

Second, a spiritual person is connected to that invisible realm by having his or her spirit linked through the Holy Spirit.

Notice this contrast in the Bible between the "spiritual" person ("pneumatikos") and the "natural" person ("psuchikos" or earth-oriented, animalistic):

"But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one." (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NASB).

So there's a stark difference between the spiritual man and the natural one. The spiritual man knows the Holy Spirit and accepts the things that come from God's Spirit. But the natural man can't appraise or understand the spirit realm and its operation on this earth.

That's why so many have a counterfeit spirituality. The real thing eludes them because they don't know about, or haven't experienced, the working of the Holy Spirit. The world is full of counterfeit spirituality, even in the major world religions.

And that's why Jesus deflected the religious (but unspiritual) approach of Nicodemus by saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3 NASB).

Then he said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (Verse 6).

One can't be "spiritual" without surrendering to the work of Christ through his Holy Spirit.

Spirituality comes, not be being a good person in human terms or by being religious. It comes by surrender, in prayer, to the working of God's Spirit. Then one is "born from above" into a new life... a spiritual one.

Sometimes God says no... or does He?

2008-09-23T11:17:00.003-05:00

A scholar several years ago actually counted all the prayers of the Bible and wrote a book about it. The publisher's preface to the book says there are 650 definite prayers in the Bible and 450 recorded answers. (See All The Prayers Of The Bible by Dr. Herbert Lockyer.)

Wonder how many of those answers were "no"? Most of us struggle with the "no" answer and puzzle over why others get positive answers and we don't.

We just had a friend die with cancer. He was prayed over many times, anointed with oil, and many tried their best to pray in faith. But he died. It seems the answer was "no".

And yet, we read optimistic verses throughout the Bible promising us affirmative answers. So, what's the problem?

Well, look at some of the rare "no" answers in the Bible.

Moses begged God to allow him to cross over the Jordan River and lead Israel into the promised land. But God said "Do not speak to me any more about this matter... you are not going to cross this Jordan." (Deuteronomy 3:26-27 NIV).

It seems that Moses lost his chance to lead Israel into the land because he had failed use his faith when causing water to come from the rock (Numbers 20:12). God was dishonored and Moses missed getting his answer.

Although the answer was "no", Moses later enjoyed the promised land when on the mountain top with Jesus and Elijah (Matthew 17:3).

In another case, King David prayed for his infant son to live, but he died. Although this child had never done anything in life, either good or bad, the whole relationship that produced him was toxic. David had stolen another man's wife and then had the man murdered. God's "no" answer must've had something to do with that situation.

Although the answer was "no", David still said, "Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:23 NIV). David saw the child again, this time joining him in the perfection of paradise.

And what about Paul's prayer for his thorn in the flesh? He says this "thorn" harassed him so he wouldn't become conceited after experiencing great revelations. He prayed three times for it to be removed, but God said, "no". He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

So, Paul dodged a ministry-crippling conceit but retained his thorn in the flesh.

Did you notice a common theme in these three stories? It seems that human failings shredded these prayers and made them unanswerable. But did you notice this... God answered all three with something better!

When prayers don't match my rhetoric

2008-09-19T11:00:00.003-05:00

The other day a friend blessed me with free tickets to hear a business man speak. And to enjoy a free meal. I accepted.

The meal was Chick-fil-A and the speaker, amazingly enough, was Dan T. Cathy, President and Chief Operating Officer of the corporation. He's also a son of the founder, S. Truett Cathy.

I already knew a little about the Chick-fil-A company. You know, the fast food restaurant that still remains closed on Sundays and refuses to violate their principled policy on the subject. I also knew that the Cathy family seemed to preach good moral values and church-going behavior.

Judy, my wife, and I arrived on time at the Convention Center but the place was already packed, so we chose one of the long lines headed toward the chicken buffet and visited to pass the time.

As we got closer to the serving line, we noticed another line coming from the other direction, but instead of receiving food, they were helping carry plates to the tables. With a towel over his arm, like any good waiter in a classy restaurant, a pleasant, polite man took my plate and said, "Let me help you to your table."

We chose a table and joined some who were already eating. I thanked the man who carried my plate, and he replied, "My pleasure."

When we began to sit next to Mike Riley, a friend of ours, I noticed him rise and go behind me saying, "Mr. Cathy, I've always wanted to shake your hand!"

Dan Cathy, President of Chick-fil-A, had served me by taking my plate to the table and I didn't even realize it. I had been served by the most important man there, the man who was about to speak on how to build a company by going the extra mile (Matthew 5:41).

Maybe this is one reason Chick-fil-A has experienced 39 years of positive sales growth. Maybe it's why they've grown to become the second-largest fast service chicken restaurant chain in the US with 1,340 locations and annual sales of $2 billion.

So what does this have to do with prayer? Well, it's fun to talk about prayer, read about it and study about it, but my prayer life doesn't often match my rhetoric. I want to be one of those God-chasers (as Tommy Tenney puts it) who actually prays, who prays often and prays consistently.

After Jesus had taught on the extra mile principle, and other wonderful things, in His sermon on the mount, he ended by talking about those who hear His words and put them into practice.

They are the wise ones. They get results. They build on solid ground. Their actions don't cancel their rhetoric.

I'm always amazed at this Prayer Workshop

2008-09-14T17:02:00.007-05:00

This year's Prayer Enrichment Workshop continued to amaze me.

The people who sacrifice to attend amaze me.

Like Gene and Marsha. Gene continues to fight off stage 4 colon cancer, but he and Marsha and his parents came to the Workshop (and stayed for the whole program). He had told Marsha, "I'm going to the Prayer Workshop even if I have to lie in the floor on a pillow!"

Or like the two twin sisters who came - one who recently had a serious bleeding in her brain that has partially paralyzed her and the other who just buried her husband. They came. And they beamed with enthusiasm.

Or like the bus load of joyous worshipers who evacuated from hurricane-threatened Houston, Texas and came to the Workshop (they come every year). They courageously left homes behind to Ike's wrath and traveled uncertain roads just to get in on our Prayer Workshop. They inspire me and they humble me. Many of them will return to flooded homes, no electricity and shortages of supplies.

Each year we're blessed to fellowship with some amazing people who put up with significant hardships just to participate in this Prayer Workshop at a small Louisiana church.

The speakers who come keep on amazing me.

Like Terry Rush - a true mentor and hilarious, joy-filled proclaimer of God's huge heart. Terry pulls me upward and makes me better each time I'm around him.

And like Albert Lemmons, the greatest man of prayer I know... A man with 52 years of preaching experience behind him... a man whose main mission in life is to see God's people truly know Him in prayer.

Or like Barry Stephens, a loving, people-oriented preacher who always comes well-prepared and well-prayed... and who wants the Lord's church to catch the vision of what prayer can do to reach the broken people around us.

And like Larry Burrell, a powerful voice in the African American community as he and his congregation call people to search the Lord's word for the truth... rather than half-truths.

Or like Hugh Gower, who has always remembered where he was when God found him... and who can never forget God's grace. He found out that God loves him and he hasn't gotten over it yet. And he continues to work to see others find that same grace.

And the Calhoun Church still amazes me at Workshop time.

Our volunteers work so hard and so long that it must be a "God-thing". They spend their time, donate significant sums of money and invest their emotional energy in seeing that this Workshop happens.

But more than that, they are true servants. They make sure that our guests have meals, a pleasant place to meet and CDs of the sessions to take home with them. And above all, they make sure our guests get hugs, encouragement and the therapeutic atmosphere of true Christian fellowship. They are remarkable, sacrificial servants.

Whether guests, speakers or volunteers, I'm amazed at them because I see why they do it. They're connected to Him - the One who loved us and gave Himself for us... they do it because of a love that has pierced their hearts and made them alive to the higher life.

Annual Prayer Workshop; one of those remarkable hidden treasures

2008-09-09T14:11:00.011-05:00

"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46 NIV)

Sometimes the most remarkable treasures come from the least likely places.

We've witnessed that for fifteen years at our church's annual Prayer Enrichment Workshop right here in Calhoun, Louisiana.

For the past decade and a half we've been honored to hear the best speakers we can find on the subject of prayer. Most of them are well-known in the Churches of Christ and Independent Christian Churches for the power of their presentations and the depth of their study.

This year isn't any different. Look at the list of awesome speakers slated to be with us this week - September 12-14.

Dr. Albert Lemmons has taught hundreds of prayer seminars on nearly every continent in his fifty-two years of ministry, and has written extensively about prayer and spiritual growth. He's a recognized scholar on the subject of George Muller and has spoken at our Workshop here in Calhoun for nearly its entire life.

Terry Rush directs the amazing International Soul Winning Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which draws thousands each year. He also serves as Preaching Minister for the Memorial Drive Church of Christ in Tulsa.

Dr. Barry Stephens teaches Bible at Lubbock Christian University and serves as Senior Minister for the exciting Monterey Church of Christ in Lubbock. Barry is also one of the Instructors in our CrossView College of Prayer audio series.

Larry Burrell, Senior Minister for the predominantly African-American Parkview Drive Church of Christ, has served that church for 29 years and has a local television broadcast titled Let God Be True.

Hugh Gower served the Calhoun Church for several years as our Prayer Ministry Coordinator and Director of our Food Bank. He's often asked to speak in churches about the subject of prayer. He now preaches for the Ward Chapel Church of Christ in North Louisiana.

And then there's me - Keith Roberts, author of Why God Waits For You To Pray, and Preaching Minister for the Calhoun Church.

Join us for this life-changing event... there'll be three and a half days of study, prayer, fellowship, food and networking with other prayer ministries and intercessors. Here's the schedule:

FRIDAY:

3:00 PM - Special Seminar - Albert Lemmons - "Preparing Your Heart & Your Faith For Revival"

7:00 PM - Terry Rush - "God Works!"

SATURDAY:

8:00 AM - Breakfast (provided by Calhoun Church)

9:00 AM - Terry Rush - "Envisioning the Invisible"

10:00 AM - Keith Roberts - "Why God Waits For You to Pray"

11:00 AM - Terry Rush - "An Attitude of Gratitude"

Lunch Break (provided by Calhoun Church)

1:30 PM - Albert Lemmons - Intercession's Power For Revival

2:30 PM - Larry Burrell - "Prayer Life of the Early Church"

3:30 PM - Hugh Gower - "Praying Together"

4:15 - 5:30 - Prayer Time & Fellowship

5:30 - Cajun Cookout

7:00 PM - Barry Stephens - "Let God Be God"

SUNDAY:

8:00 AM - Breakfast (provided)

9:00 AM - Worship - Barry Stephens - "The Church at Prayer"

10:00 AM - Barry Stephens - "An Intrusive God"

11:30 - Pot luck lunch - Calhoun Church's 43rd Homecoming!

Want to see remarkable answers to prayer?

2008-08-27T14:48:00.006-05:00

Every time it happens I'm reminded of how important it is to study prayer.

It's happened twice to me this week.

Talking to a friend named Jimmy the other day, he reminded me of his remarkable answer to prayer several years ago.

He lay dying in a hospital far from home with no hope of recovery. The doctors gave up, the family gathered and churches prayed. Finally, a group of elders from his home church arrived to pray, but were prevented from entering the ICU. Yet they persisted and gathered at Jimmy's side, prayed and anointed him with oil.

Though he'd languished in a coma for several days, he responded when they touched him with the oil. After that prayer he grew stronger and stronger, and within a few weeks was home and working again.

Then it happened to me again - confronted with another remarkable answer to prayer.

This one happened when the call to prayer went out on behalf of a young father named Derrick because fluid on his brain was building up, pushing him into a coma-like state. A previous shunt in the brain was failing and doctors prepared for radical surgery.

But as local prayer groups prayed, the doctor decided to take one more set of scans prior to surgery. This time the scans showed no fluid! It had all disappeared. No surgery required.

The doctor asked Derrick's mom for the names of those who were praying. He said, "I want them on my side."

I've seen it again and again. And yet it still amazes me when God answers prayer in such a powerful way that even medical professionals are stunned.

Prayer has the power (because God does) to turn the world upside down.

So we try hard to learn and grow in this art of speaking with the Almighty on behalf of mortals.

We do it each year in our local September Prayer Workshop here in Calhoun. Join us.

Get in on three days of intense training, networking, fellowship and practical application of the art of prayer.

Check it out on our website link. See you there!

Can answers to prayer be guaranteed?

2008-08-01T16:05:00.004-05:00

The closest thing in the Bible to guaranteed answers to prayer appears in Jesus’ word to his disciples the night before the cross:

“And I will do whatever your ask in my name…” (John 14:13 NIV).

That’s an amazing promise, yet Jesus restates it again four more times—in 14:14, 15:7, 15:16 & 16:23.

So this concept—praying in his name—meant a great deal to Jesus, and then to his disciples.

The first description of a healing performed by the disciples comes in Acts 3:6. where Peter said to the beggar, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

When the healing happened, Peter described it as happening “By faith in the name of Jesus… It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing…” (Acts 3:16 NIV).

It seems clear that remarkable things happen when Jesus’ disciples pray in his name.

So, what does that mean?

A name is a verbal tag, a container for all the attributes and authority belonging to a person or situation.

Think about what these names represent: dynamite, nuclear bomb, Hitler, Viet Nam, Iraq, Billy Graham, President Bush, Paris Hilton, General Motors, Mother Teresa, etc.

Each name represents a whole complex of ideas and associations.

If someone has accomplished great things, he or she has “a name” and can gain access to high places. If someone or some institution has authority, things are done in its "name".

Like an ambassador representing a government, we believers can speak in our Lord’s name… on his behalf… with his authority. And we can pray to the Father as if we are Jesus doing the praying.

If we “remain in him and his word remains in us” we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done.

Amazing.

Keys to Success in Prayer

2008-07-19T17:11:00.006-05:00

Because I teach on prayer, people often ask me to pray for them, saying “I know you have an inside track with God.”

It might surprise you to know that I don’t. God will listen to your prayers just as quickly as to mine, or to anyone else’s—if you know the key.

So what’s this “key” to getting prayers answered?

The Key

Here’s something I’ve discovered that will make your prayers more effective—the principles that cause success in life, will also bring success in prayer.

That may not sound right to some, but here’s what I mean.

Whether you’re a believer or not, if you fall from a tall enough building, you’ll be killed. The Law of Gravity works for everyone.

Whether you’re a Christian or not, if you don’t pay your bills, you’ll soon be bankrupt. The laws of finance apply to all of us.

Even though you’re a believer, if you ignore the basic principles of prayer, you won’t get answers. God created prayer to operate based on certain principles, just like the rest of life.

Jesus’ disciples understood that. They once asked, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1.)

What did they want to be taught? Specific principles about successful prayer, which both John the Baptist and Jesus taught regularly.

How Prayer Works

And here’s one of those basic principles we often overlook—your prayers filter themselves through your spirit. There aren’t any “generic” prayers. Your prayers approach God from within you, and filter themselves through your attitudes and expectations, not anyone else’s.

That’s why it’s important for your thinking to be right. If you contaminate the attitudes of your inner life, your prayers will be shredded before they ever reach God’s throne.

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying you have to be perfect. But you do have to be willing to learn certain key attitudes if you want your prayers to be effective.

So what set of attitudes does one need in order for prayer to be successful?

Principles of Successful Prayer

(1) BE SPECIFIC. Instead of just praying, “Lord, bless me today” have goals in mind.

When blind Bartimaeus cried to Jesus, “Have mercy on me!” the Lord asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51.)

That’s a strange question to ask a blind man! But Jesus wanted him to be specific. And when he told Jesus, “I want to see” he got his prayer answered.

We understand the disaster of a ship without a rudder, a car whose steering fails, or an airplane that loses its guidance system. But too much of the time we’re cruising through life without any specific direction. And if that’s how you’re praying, you won’t see many answers.

(2) PERSIST. When you complained that your prayers weren’t being answered, was it because you quit too soon? Remember, when Jesus’ own disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray” he immediately taught a lesson on persistence.

He told of a man who had visitors late at night needing a place to sleep. The man had no bread to feed them, so he went next door to borrow some. His neighbor wouldn’t give him the bread at first, but because of his persistence he soon got it (Luke 11.)

And later Jesus told them another parable “to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1.)

Understand this principle; if you quit too soon, your prayers will fail.

(3) PRAY IN FAITH. Here’s one of the most common mistakes in prayer—assuming that prayer will work despite one’s attitude. When your prayers become a whining “pity party” God won’t listen. That’s why Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years and lost their inheritance (Numbers 14:22-35.)

But when your prayers drip with optimistic faith, mountains move. Jesus taught the principle in Mark 11: 22-25—“whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

In other words, what you believe about the future influences it in that direction. (That works for both fear and faith; fear the worst and it will happen, but have faith in God for the best and it will happen.)

So since faith is “being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1), you must see the outcome before it happens, and you must believe God will answer before He answers.

That’s why James, the Lord’s brother, said the man who prays without faith “should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (Jas. 1:7.)

So, how would you describe your prayers? Like this? - “God, I don’t know why you don’t answer me. I try and try, but I still have a terrible life. I try to live right, tithe, go to church, but everything is still against me. I don’t know why I bother…”

Obviously, that’s not a prayer of faith. A mountain-moving prayer of faith sounds like this—”Thank you God that you’ve given me everything I need for life and godliness through Christ—I can do all things through Him who gives me strength…”

What’s the difference, and how can you pray with more faith? Notice the next principle.

(4) PRAY SCRIPTURE. Here’s an ancient method for praying with more purpose and faith—pray the Scriptures.

Even Bible characters prayed the Scriptures: the prophet’s prayer in Daniel 9:1-19

was based on Jeremiah 29:10-14. And King Jehoshaphat’s prayer of faith in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 grew out of Solomon’s dedication prayer for the new temple in 2 Chronicles 6:14-42.

It’s fairly common in the Bible to see people pray by using Scriptures that were written before their day.

So how can you do that? By scanning the word of God for the prayers found in it—they number around 600! (Write to us at the address on the front and ask for a free listing, 40 Days With The Bible’s Great Prayers.)

If you’re overwhelmed by the Bible, start with the Psalms, and make each prayer fit your situation. This will increase your faith, since “faith comes from hearing the message… the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17.)

4) RESPECT PEOPLE. Remember, your prayers approach God from within you, and filter themselves through your attitudes and expectations—and that’s also true of your attitude toward other people.

Jesus himself said “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him…” (Mark 11:25.)

If you want your prayers to be powerful, get rid of the bitterness that comes from past hurts. Consciously forgive, in prayer, anyone who has harmed you.

If you don’t treat your husband or wife with proper respect, it will hinder your prayers (1 Peter 3:7.)

In fact, Jesus said that we should be willing to pray for even our enemies, asking God to bless them and forgive them (Matthew 5:43-47.)

So be careful in your relationships. Lack of respect for other people can quickly put the brakes on your prayer life.

Use these keys to success in prayer, making your prayer life a tool in building a better world.

What makes you want to pray?

2008-07-07T14:36:00.003-05:00

What does it take to get you in a praying mood? What stirs you to want to pray more?

Does it take a crisis? Or an ongoing illness? Or an unnamed dread that forecasts a dark future as you hear scary news about someone else's tragedy?

Or does it take reading a stirring book on prayer? Or hearing a preacher or teacher paint an exciting portrait of the power of prayer?

And why is it so hard to pray... at least to pray regularly? What keeps you from praying more often? What are the road blocks, the barriers to regular, intimate prayer?

What solutions have you found? What works and what doesn't?

Let me know and we'll pass your ideas on to others.

Keep on praying!

There's Something About Healing Prayer

2008-06-26T16:06:00.004-05:00

After leaving his Protestant roots and embracing agnosticism via the university he attended, medical doctor Larry Dossey found, to his surprise, a scientific study proving that prayer heals.

He assumed it was a fluke. But when he investigated further, what he found amazed him:

"Because I'd never heard of controlled experiments affirming prayer, I assumed this study stood alone... I began to probe the scientific literature for further proof of prayer's efficacy. I found an enormous body of evidence: over one hundred experiments exhibiting the criteria of 'good science,' many conducted under stringent laboratory conditions, over half of which showed that prayer brings about significant changes in a variety of living beings." (See the preface to Healing Words by Larry Dossey, M.D. published by Harper San Francisco in 1993.)

If you read Dr. Dossey's book, you may be disappointed to find that the "prayer" in these experiments isn't confined to Judeo-Christian praying. All kinds of prayer and meditation were included in these studies.

And some readers will be skeptical of any book or experiment that tries to "prove" that prayer makes a difference. We walk by faith, not by sight.

But still, there's something about healing prayer. It seems, even according to scientific studies, that just the act of praying for someone can heal them.

The Bible, of course, is full of healing prayers. In fact, I suppose almost every religion has some sort of belief in prayer that heals.

So how do we sort out the chaff and keep the wheat? Well, one of the most powerful concepts attached to prayer, and to prayers that heal, is covenant.

When King Hezekiah of Judah fell ill, he got bad news. Jehovah instructed the prophet Isaiah to tell the king, "Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." (Isaiah 38:1 NIV).

Now, this wasn't some kindly old doctor in a white coat saying compassionately, "I think you may be terminal, but we'll keep trying."

This was Isaiah the prophet, a man who heard directly from Jehovah God. And his message came right from the throne of the Most High; "you will die".

Despite that, Hezekiah "turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 'Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.'" (Isaiah 38:2-3 NIV).

That prayer worked before Isaiah the prophet made it out of the building. God stopped him and sent him back to Hezekiah with the news that he would live fifteen more years!

Why? Why did that prayer for healing work so quickly? Mainly because Hezekiah was a covenant-keeper.

If you read his story in 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings, you'll find that Hezekiah brought reform to Judah immediately upon becoming king. Although his morals slipped at times, he worked hard to reestablish the covenant and bring God's people back to keeping it.

So healing prayer that's truly effective gets its energy from one's covenant with God. If Hezekiah hadn't prayed, he would have died. He changed God's mind by his prayers... because he was in covenant with Jehovah.

Although the Old Covenant is no longer in effect, we as believers on Christ have a New Covenant that's far better.

Check it out in the Book of Hebrews (especially chapter eight) and you'll find new energy for healing prayer.

The Power of Past Tense Praying

2008-06-24T11:08:00.006-05:00

While preaching in Springfield, Missouri, John Bisagno encountered a woman who asked him to pray for the salvation of her husband.

That sounded like a reasonable request; Bisagno asked if she had already been praying for her husband. She replied that she had - for thirty-five years!

A little confused over why there was no answer after all these years, he asked if she prayed this way - "If it be thy will, save my husband." She admitted that's exactly how she prayed.

Bisagno saw what needed to happen. He reminded her of the Scriptures. He pointed out that the core of God's heart drives him to save people... all people. It was already God's will to save her husband.

Then he instructed her to go home and spend an hour thanking God that he was going to save her husband.

When the woman returned that night, her husband came with her... and became a Christian that evening.

Bisagno wrote, "One hour of praying in faith, believing, had done more good than thirty-five years of endless repetition and doubting hesitation!" (See his book, The Power of Positive Praying)

The power of positive praying reminds me of the power of past tense praying. What's past tense praying?

Well, it's based on this concept: Since God lives outside time & space, he can speak of tomorrow as if it's already happened. The classic example is God's prediction, through the prophet Isaiah, of Christ's crucifixion several centuries before it happened - and he predicted it in past tense.

"He took up our infirmities... he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities... the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all... he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah chapter 53 NIV.)

Note all the past tense phrases in that quote. And note how God taught his people to think, and pray, in past tense.

When he revealed to King David that he intended to build David a lineage of kings sitting on the kingdom throne forever, David reacted by praying, "For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant." (2 Samuel 7:21 NIV).

Actually, God hadn't done anything yet. He had merely spoken it. But for David that meant he could think, and speak, in past tense in his prayer.

This phenomenon of past tense praying glows in Paul's discussion of Abraham's covenant with God as reported in Romans 4:17-18: "As it is written: 'I have made you the father of many nations...' Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations."

Note how Abraham "became" what God had already "made" him!

This awesome principle is why Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have already received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24 NIV - emphasis mine.)

Since faith comes by hearing, I'm digging into God's word to make sure my faith is up to the challenge of praying in past tense.

Do Not Enter?

2008-06-18T09:59:00.006-05:00

Old-school comedian Groucho Marx once tried to join a country club but was refused because he was Jewish.

He reportedly said, "That's OK... I wouldn't join a club that would have me as a member anyway!"

Restricted places. I come across them often. I can't get into certain places in the local court house, in the police station, in the hospital, in the television news room, in the doctor's parking garage, in... well, you get the point.

Since we bounce off of restricted places every day, some of us assume God's heavenly throne room must be the same. Only the super-religious are welcome. Or only the very, very spiritual. Or only martyrs who've died for the faith.

I guess we got those feelings honestly. In the Old Testament, only the ordained High Priest could enter God's sanctuary. And he could only enter once a year with specially prepared blood sacrifices and uniquely formulated incense. If he made a mistake in the divine ritual, he died.

Besides that, most of us feel guilty and inadequate when thinking about approaching God - the Creator and Ruler of the whole universe, the One who knows everything about us.

So, is God's throne room a restricted place, or can normal, flawed people visit Him when they wish?

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest... Jesus the Son of God... Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV).

Amazing! Did you catch that? As disciples of Jesus, we can "approach the throne of grace with confidence." We can find a welcome in the most intimate room in the headquarters of the whole universe.

In fact our Father has "raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..." (Ephesians 2:6 NIV).

And that allows us to "have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus..." (Hebrews 10:19 NIV).

How amazing! The Most Holy Place has no "Do Not Enter" sign.

I plan to spend more time in there.

Why so little fruit?

2008-06-12T09:47:00.003-05:00

Years ago I couldn't understand why my work produced so little fruit. Then I came across a book that explained it all.

I happened to see it in a discount store with the interesting title, The Power of Prayer: and the Prayer of Power.

The writer, R. A. Torrey, grabbed my attention with this question: "'Why is it,' many a minister is asking, 'that I see so little fruit from my ministry?'"

I was hooked. I wanted to find out why my work seemed so futile... no salvations, few restorations, little interest in seeking God's face in the small church I served.

Torrey continued, "Why are there so few conversions? Why does my church grow so slowly? Why are the members of my church so little helped by my ministry, and built up so little in Christian knowledge and life?"

His answer? "And again God replies: 'Neglect of prayer. You have not, because you ask not.'" (Emphasis his. See chapter one of Torrey's book.)

Torrey went on to tell of Scottish preacher John Welch who interceded for revival by praying, "Give me Scotland or I die!" Welch considered any day wasted if he didn't spend seven or eight hours of it in prayer.

Torrey's book woke me up to the power and privilege of prayer. I read other great writers on the subject: E.M. Bounds, Andrew Murray, Alexander Whyte, Ole Hallesby, S.D. Gordon, George Muller... too many to mention.

I discovered that reading great books on prayer breathed life into my prayer time. They made me hunger to know God, to pray more and more, and to be effective in prayer... therefore, being more effective at kingdom work.

And that drove me into the Scriptures. I read the entire Bible, marking verses that mentioned prayer, or verses that were themselves prayers. I discovered that the Bible mentions prayer more than 850 times.

And when I read All The Prayers Of The Bible by Dr. Herbert Lockyer, I found out that the Bible contains 650 prayers and records 450 definite answers to those prayers.

All of this reading propelled me into a lifelong quest to pray more and to help others do the same. It all happened because of reading good books, and the Great Book, on prayer.

Has that brought the fruit I was missing? Yes, many times over. The next church we served doubled in size in just under three years. But other fruit has been even more remarkable. Lives changed, bodies healed, marriages repaired... all the events we associate with answered prayer.

But there's been more. Knowing Him has surpassed it all. The great power in prayer isn't just the answers we get to life's issues. It's the constant upward trek toward knowing Him better.

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." (Ephesians 3:16-17 NIV.)

When God has no choice

2008-06-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

Sometimes God has no choice. Really? You mean the Creator of all things, the Mind behind all the universes, the Alpha and Omega sometimes has no choice?

For one thing, God has no choice about telling the truth. The writer of Hebrews says God swore an oath to Abraham, so it was "impossible for God to lie." (Hebrews 6:13-20). He didn't say God would avoid lying, he said God can't do it. He has no choice.

And another thing... God can't break a promise. He has no choice. His word brims over with promises, but most "believers" keep waiting for God to act. If God has promised, he has already acted.

God acted when he promised physical healing. He told Israel, "I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." (Exodus 15:26 NIV).

And later he said, "I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." (Exodus 23:25-26 NIV).

The promise of healing continued in the prophets: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows (or diseases)... the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV).

Inspiring promises. Yet, why were so many in Israel sick anyway? The circumstances of life didn't seem to agree with God's heady promises. And they still don't. Why?

Because God has already made his choice. He has healed us. But we haven't made the choice to believe it.

It's clear in Jesus' ministry that he arrived to heal Israel, not just spiritually but physically. When Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, and then healed "all the sick", Matthew's account says the event "was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 'He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.'" (8:17 NIV).

But many in Israel didn't receive the promised healing. That's why Jesus often said, "your faith has saved you" or "your faith has healed you" or even, "according to your faith will it be done to you."

Jesus knew that the Father had no choice. He had to honor faith in his own promises.

And he still does today. He has no choice.

Intercession: love on its knees

2008-05-29T11:25:00.005-05:00

The Baroness Blixen, whose life the movie "Out Of Africa" dramatized, stood politely fidgeting in the receiving line waiting to greet the new Governor of Kenya.

His VIP reception, which featured all the area's prominent socialites, dragged on with bland predictability. But what the Baroness was planning to do ... well, nobody could've predicted that.

Changing times hadn't been kind to her. She once owned a massive coffee plantation, including tribal lands of the Kikuyu people, but lost it during the financial bust following World War I.

Certainly that loss stung her, but what really burned was the new owners' attitude; they planned to throw the Kikuyu off their ancestral lands.

And this once-wealthy aristocrat had no money to buy back the land. She had no political clout and she found no sympathy when trying to work through government channels to help the Kikuyu.

Distraught, discredited and broke, she now saw the new Governor's reception as a last chance, a shoestring tackle to save the people she loved. As the receiving line crept ahead slowly, she saw her opening.

The Baroness collapsed to her knees right in front of the Governor and began begging him to save the Kikuyu. Shocked onlookers tried to pull her away, but it was too late. She had ditched a lifetime of social correctness and "prayed" for the people who owned her heart.

She begged the Governor, "Please look into this matter! Please give me your word!" At that, the Governor's wife stood. "You have my word," she said.

Like a rose growing in a garbage dump, Baroness Blixen's selfless love glistened in contrast to the empty social phoniness of her time. She really cared.

That quality - caring - is the golden heart of intercession; truly love on its knees.

(Excerpted from Why God Waits For You To Pray by Keith Roberts.)

"Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." -Romans 8:34 NIV

Want to supercharge your prayers?

2008-05-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

Back in mid-twentieth century, a psychologist named Klopfer made an amazing discovery in dealing with one of his patients, a man named Wright.

Cancer had eaten up Mr. Wright, causing tumors the size of oranges throughout his body. He lay in the hospital, dying. Nothing could be done, except to make him as comfortable as possible.

But Mr. Wright's hope flared a little when he heard of a new cancer drug called Krebiozen. He asked his doctors about it, but they wanted to reserve the experimental drug for patients who hadn't progressed as far as Mr. Wright; they wanted to use it on those who would live longer.

But Wright begged until his doctor gave one injection on a Friday, expecting him to die over the weekend.

Not only did Mr. Wright live through the weekend, but his doctors found him on Monday morning happily walking the halls and visiting with the staff. His tumors had shrunk to half their previous size.

Doctors excitedly began three injections a day for Mr. Wright, and within ten days he went home and back to his usual activities (which included flying his airplane).

However, it wasn't long until the news media reported conflicting stories about the new drug's effectiveness. Many said it was useless, which put Mr. Wright back in the hospital where he reverted to his former critical condition.

At this point Dr. Klopfer intervened, telling Wright that the earlier drug had deteriorated in shipping and that a new, more powerful form would arrive soon. Mr. Wright took heart, and the Doctor began more injections... this time of nothing but fresh water!

Mr. Wright again recovered, leaving the hospital and going back to his normal activities in a few days. He again soared and lived a healthy life... until.

Until the American Medical Association released a statement saying that Krebiozen was a totally worthless drug. His faith in the drug now shattered, Mr. Wright reentered the hospital and died within a few days. (See Dr. Bernie Seigel's book, Love, Medicine & Miracles - Harper & Row; 1988, page 33.)

Do you see why Jesus talked incessantly about faith? Why he questioned his disciples about it, pushing them to develop more of it? And why he often said, "according to your faith will it be done to you", leaving all things open-ended with no limits other than our lack of belief?

Faith amazed Jesus. To see time-bound mortals "get it" - to see them learn this God-like skill called faith - this excited Jesus.

He marveled at the Centurion's astonishing faith (Matthew 8) and the iron-willed faith of the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15), but he also stood amazed at the smothering lack of faith in his own home town (Mark 6:6).

Jesus went around looking for faith, evaluating each encounter with people, sizing them up and taking their measure, always with an eye toward discovering faith... faith in him and his ability to manifest God on earth.

He even said, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8 NIV).

While we're here on earth doing all this praying, he's looking for faith. He's evaluating our prayers based on their faith-content.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24 NIV).

Can prayer reduce suffering?

2008-05-22T15:10:00.002-05:00

At its best, prayer is a conversation. Can a conversation, even with God, reduce life's sufferings?

Moses suffered so intensely that he prayed, "What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people?... the burden is too heavy... put me to death right now..." (Numbers 11:10-15 NIV.)

The Lord solved that one by appointing seventy elders to lessen the burden on Moses.

And when Elijah suffered to the breaking point he prayed, "I have had enough, LORD. Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors." (1 Kings 19:4 NIV.)

God released him from the suffering by releasing him from his duties; he was to anoint Jehu as king over Israel and Elisha as the new prophet to succeed Elijah. (I try to remember that one when I'm in a complaining mood.)

I could show you several other cases where God reduced someone's suffering, in answer to prayer, by changing their situation.

But then there's that other answer we often dread.

After his surpassing revelations, the Apostle Paul endured such harassment by an "aggelos Satanas" - a Satanic angel - that he prayed to have it (or him) removed.

But the Lord's now-famous answer was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV.)

Not exactly what Paul had in mind, probably. But sometimes God answers with "I'll give you strength" rather than "I'll get you out of this".

Jesus knows how this works. He suffered so intensely in Gethsemane that he said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." (Matthew 26:38 NIV.) He operated at the limits of what his human frame could tolerate.

So his Father sent an angel from heaven to strengthen him... "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44 NIV.)

His prayers were laced with loud cries and tears, as he groaned to the "one who could save him from (out of) death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." (Hebrews 5:7 NIV.)

The point? That sometimes, when you intensely pray, you can get both answers.

Jesus got both the temporary relief and the long-term reward. His prayers brought a strengthening angel, but also saved him out of death - even his resurrection was an answer to prayer!

So keep on praying, even in the garden of suffering.

And pray for my friend, John Dobbs, who just lost his son, John Robert, in an accident. God will give strength, but he will also resurrect... and reunite.

Thy will be done... or not

2008-05-20T15:26:00.004-05:00

"If it be thy will." Most people use that phrase as a disclaimer at the end of a tentative prayer.

Jesus didn't use it that way, and he didn't use it often; just the one time, if I remember correctly. He normally anchored his prayers in the solid geology of his Father's will before he ever prayed them.

He even prayed at Lazarus' coming-out party, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me..."

Then his prayer morphed into a command - "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:41-43 NIV.) Talk about bold praying...

And what about Moses? He prayed for fallen Israel to be spared, even after Jehovah had said his will was to destroy them!

Moses said, "O, LORD, why should your anger burn against your people... Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains...'? Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self..." (Exodus 32:11-14 NIV.)

What bold praying! And it's amazing how many of those bold prayers you find in Scripture. So why do we hear so many tentative, timid prayers that use Jesus' courageous "Thy will be done" as a disclaimer?

Because we were taught to do so. And because we don't understand the difference between a prayer of consecration to God's purposes ("Thy will be done") and a bold prayer of faith ("whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have already received it") as found in Mark 11:24.

You don't use a knife to drive a nail, nor a hammer to cut meat. So, you don't use one prayer tool to get results in an area it wasn't designed for.

But, you might ask, "Then how do I know God's will before I ask?"

Search it out. He wrote it all down for you.

Like to spend 40 days praying with Jesus?

2008-05-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

When the flood came in Noah’s day, it rained 40 days and nights. Israel wandered in the desert and ate manna for 40 years.

Moses fasted and prayed in Jehovah’s presence for 40 days and nights. Israel’s spies explored the promised land of Canaan for 40 days. David reigned over Israel for 40 years. Jonah gave the city of Nineveh 40 days to repent or be destroyed.

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting, praying, and combating Satan. Do you get the impression that the number 40 is significant? I do. Every time God used the number it implied completeness.

If you want to pray like Jesus prayed, immerse yourself in his prayer life. Here's a list of passages describing his prayer life and giving you ideas on how to pray like the Master:

1. Psalm 2:7-9 – His prayer life predicted.

2. Matthew 5:43-44 – His teaching on prayer for enemies.

3. Matthew 6:5-8 – His teaching on sincere prayer.

4. Matthew 6:9-15 – His Model Prayer.

5. Matthew 7:7-12 – His teaching on prayer’s power.

6. Matthew 9:37-38 (Lk. 10:2) – His teaching on evangelistic prayer.

7. Matthew 11:25-26 (Lk. 10:2 1) – His prayer of praise.

8. Matthew 14:13, 23-27 (Mk. 6:46) – His all night prayer on the mountain.

9. Matthew 18:19-20 – His teaching on agreement in prayer.

10. Matthew 19:13 – He prays for the children.

11. Matthew 21:12-13 (Mk. 11:17) – He calls the temple a house of prayer.

12. Matthew 21:18-22 (Mk. 11:24-25) – His teaching on faith and prayer.

13. Matthew 24:20 (Mk. 13:18) – His call for prayer during crisis.

14. Matthew 26:26-27 (Mk. 14:22f & Lk. 22:171) – His prayers during the Lord’s Supper.

15. Matthew 26:36-44 (Mk. 14:32f & Lk. 22:391) – He prays in Gethsemane.

16. Matthew 27:46 (Mk. 15:34) – He prays on the cross.

17. Mark 1:35-39 – His habit of early prayer.

18. Mark 6:41 & 8:6-7 – His habit of thanksgiving.

19. Mark 9:28-29 – His teaching on prayer against demons.

20. Luke 3:21-22 – He prays at His baptism.

21. Luke 5:15-16 & 9:18 – His habit of secluded prayer.

22. Luke 6:12-13 – His all night prayer before choosing the apostles.

23. Luke 9:28-29 – His all night prayer at the transfiguration.

24. Luke 11:1-4 – His disciples ask for prayer training.

25. Luke 11:5-13 – His teaching on persistence in prayer.

26. Luke 18:1-8 – His parable on persistence in prayer.

27. Luke 18:9-14 – His teaching about authentic prayer.

28. Luke 22:31 – He prays for weak disciples.

29. Luke 23:34 – His prayer for His enemies.

30. Luke 23:46 – His prayer at His death.

31. John 11:41-42 – His prayers for Lazarus’ resurrection.

32. John 12:23-28 – His teaching on courage in prayer.

33. John 14:12-14 – His teaching on praying in His Name.

34. John 14:15-16 – His prayer for the Holy Spirit to come.

35. John 15:7-8 – His teaching on prayer’s power.

36. John 15:9-17 – His teaching on praying in His Name.

37. John 16:23-28 – His teaching on boldness in prayer.

38. John 17:1-26 – His prayer for all His disciples.

39. Hebrews 5:7-10 – The intensity of His prayer life.

40. Hebrews 7:25 – His eternal intercession.

"When Jesus prayed, the sea became a liquid sidewalk. Moses and Elijah reported for a mountain top conference. The dead shrugged off their tombs and hugged their relatives.
"When Jesus prayed, people knew something would happen!
"When Jesus prayed, his disciples rubbed goose bumps as they listened; the hair on their necks stood at attention. They listened with that uncomfortable reverence that surrounds an eternity moment (like a deathbed), that eerie feeling that the unseen is at your elbow, that the supernatural hovers just out of sight.
"When Jesus prayed, the supernatural became natural... almost normal. His prayers hit like nuclear warheads while his disciples played with firecrackers.
"When Jesus prayed, heaven opened... and listened."

-from Why God Waits For You To Pray by Keith Roberts, page 14.

How to keep from losing your mind

2008-05-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

Watchman Nee once wrote, "Man's will and spirit are like a citadel which the evil spirits crave to capture. The open field where the battle is waged for the seizure of the citadel is man's mind." (The Spiritual Man, Vol 3, page 7.)

Nee believed that man's spirit and his soul are two distinctly different functions of his personality. And he envisioned man's soul as made up of three major faculties: the mind, will and emotions.

It seems reasonable that the way to control a person's life is to capture his will, his volition. That's how Satan enslaved the whole human race... by bending Adam's will to the Satanic will. But how did he do it?

He did it by influencing Eve's, and then Adam's, mind. He inserted thoughts into their mental stream. He changed the atmosphere of their thinking processes. He captured their imagination by changing their thinking, therefore arresting their will.

After all, how do you change someone's mind? By changing their thinking. So, how do you change their thinking? By broadcasting thoughts that serve your purpose.

Control the thinking, and you control the will. Control the will, and the person begins to do your will. Now you see what Nee meant - the will is the citadel which the evil spirits crave to capture... so they can control the whole person.

So how does the believer keep that from happening? It's sometimes called "spiritual warfare" - fighting back against Satan's schemes by learning spiritual tactics that frustrate his efforts. (See Ephesians 6:10-18.)

And the first rule of spiritual warfare is to rely on God's weaponry, not ours.

The Apostle Paul said, "The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV.)

Taking "captive every thought" amounts to spiritual warfare over who owns your thinking. And you're in control over who owns your thinking.

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes... And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:11,18 NIV.)

That's My King!

2008-05-12T15:52:00.001-05:00

Look at this inspiring video by S.M. Lockridge. And note the spirit of prayer that comes when we understand two foundation facts of human enlightenment:

1. There is a God.

2. You are not Him.

Things happen when mothers pray

2008-05-10T17:37:00.000-05:00

Just before my mom died she told me that she prayed for me to become a preacher even while I was still in the womb. I'd suspected it all along. The last thing I wanted to do was be a preacher, but I couldn't seem to find my place in the world until I yielded to it. That was thirty-five years ago, and I've never regretted it.

Like my mother, all moms come equipped with a powerful influence over their children, especially the boys. That's both for good or ill. I've seen men interviewed in prison who told, weeping, of drug-addicted, prostitute moms who abused and wrecked their son's psychological landscape.

But I've also seen moms steer their children into a close walk with God. And I've seen them try year after year to mold a rebellious child into God's destiny for him or her.

In a recent issue of Pray! magazine, Patricia VanDerMerwe writes about praying for decades for her son who's struggled with drugs since childhood. In the article, called A Painful Privilege, she tells of years of waiting for a breakthrough, which still hasn't happened... yet. I admire her tenacity as a mom, as a praying mom.

I think most successful spiritual leaders would credit their moms, their praying moms, for guiding them to the place where God wanted them to serve.

I know Samuel would. His mother, Hannah, prayed intensely to have a son, and vowed to give him back to God as soon as he was weaned. She made good on the vow, so Samuel grew up serving with Eli the priest in the tabernacle.

Samuel changed his world. He became a God-ordained bridge between the wild period of the Judges and the glory days of Israel's kings.

"The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground... And Samuel's word came to all Israel." (1 Samuel 3:19, 4:1 NIV).

Hannah can take a large share of the credit for that.

Why so much preacher-bashing?

2008-05-09T11:03:00.000-05:00

I got in on some great meetings yesterday, mostly encouraging but ending on a puzzling note.

We heard an expert speak about how to work in the inner city, but his enlightening ideas came with a decidedly anti-preacher tone. In his mind, preachers tend to be the problem, not the resource for solutions.

I thought about it later, and had a hard time getting it off my mind. Other such episodes came marching out of my memory.

George Barna, Christian researcher and author, did an interview several months back on Trinity Broadcasting Network about his then-new book Revolution. Same thing. Organized churches, along with their leaders, are the problem. Barna claims that masses of believers are leaving organized churches and going it alone in mini-movements.

Mark Gungor, comedian and marriage counselor, took a similar approach (again on TBN). I've heard him remark several times that preachers aren't "manly" enough; they're too wimpy. I suppose he means that preachers often let women of the congregation push them around. (He needs to meet one of my preacher friends who's a former Marine, martial arts expert and champion in full-contact Karate.)

And I recently saw a televised sermon by a preacher with the same approach. He remarked about Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well and said, "What twelve professional preachers couldn't do, this woman did - she won the whole village to Christ!"

Certainly the woman should be applauded. But, the last time I checked, these "twelve professional preachers" were the Twelve that Jesus had personally chosen to carry his message to the world. And they did.

Although one of them betrayed him, the rest bore the burden of taking the gospel to the whole Roman world in their generation (Colossians 1:23). And most of them paid for it with their lives.

Besides, why did they go into town that day to buy food while Jesus stayed at the well? Could it be that he sent them on the errand and waited for the woman he had chosen to reach the village - a Samaritan village that wouldn't have listened to "twelve professional (Jewish) preachers" in the first place? (See John 4:4-38).

Amazingly, such simplistic preacher-bashing comes out of the mouths of believers! Add to that the world's (and the media's) attitude toward preachers and you have a full-scale assault on the veracity of men who've devoted themselves to propagating the gospel.

I'll admit that preachers are sometimes hard to like, complicated people (I know, I am one). That's partly because we're pressured daily by an awesome God who gave us a humanly-impossible job to do, for which he holds us accountable. Preachers aren't perfect, but we should be. And that "should be" can be hard to live with.

I'll also admit that preachers often have a selfish agenda (Me, too). And I'll agree that we aren't, and shouldn't be, above criticism or beyond accountability.

But our primary accountability is to the One who called us. "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls... So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." (Romans 14:4,12 NIV).

The best way you can help modify the pastorate is to follow the Apostle Paul's advice: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should." (Colossians 4:2-4 NIV).

Where are you headed today?

2008-05-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

I'm off today to a series of meetings... all necessary, I suppose. They all have to do with kingdom work, and I look forward to meeting with the people of God to plan our work.

But days like this can make my prayer time thin. It sometimes puzzles me how we can make appointments for everything, but leave time with God in the leftover pile. If I get around to it, I'll pray...

I heard a man say once, "Tell me your goals for today and I'll show you your destiny.

Jesus knew how to live out his destiny. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Even after a grueling, busy day, Jesus made time his servant, not his master.

When the news about Jesus made the crowds almost impossible to manage, the word says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16 NIV).

Right after that, "the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick." (5:17). Amazing. His discipline in prayer meant power on the field of spiritual battle.

I think I'll try harder to make prayer the day's major goal - and let the power flow naturally to handle the lesser tasks.

Fishing bugs out of the baptistery

2008-05-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

We just returned from southern Oklahoma... small town... diminutive church... where we enjoyed ministering to the 70 or so believers in a prayer seminar.

We got to the building beforehand to set up and to greet some of the early birds. A man named Gary came in, followed by a young boy whose mom had left him at the door while she parked. He and Gary proceeded to the baptistery area, where they made sure the heater was turned on, just in case.

The kid's bright young eyes soon spotted a floating bug that had obviously wandered into the holy waters sometime the night before. He said, "Look, there's a bug in the water... can I fish him out?" (He'd already grabbed the pole with a net at the end.)

Gary gave permission, and the kid went to work. Soon he had the deceased insect in his net, but then said with a puzzled look, "What do I do with him?"

"Well, just bring him here to me... I believe it's a cockroach" said Gary. As he took care of the problem, I thought - two generations, separated by several decades, working together to solve a minor issue that might become an unpleasant one if there were a baptism that morning.

Isn't life in small churches fascinating? I enjoyed watching two of God's people live out the Scripture that says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..." (Colossians 3:23 NIV.)

Sometimes prayer seems like such a small contribution to kingdom work. But, like fishing bugs out of the baptistery, God evaluates these little servant-episodes with different priorities than we do.

And He evaluates the silent, invisible prayers - the ones that bubble inside - in a different way, also. Like Anna the prophetess.

The word says this 84 year-old widow "never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying." (Luke 2:37 NIV.)

This unnoticed prayer life found its way into Scripture because God noticed. He allowed her to meet Mary and Joseph, to see the infant Messiah, and to speak the word of God over the Word of God.

Amazing. Do the little things out of your love for Him, and the big things come to pass with a natural grace that will puzzle the world's schemers.

How many great prayers appear in the Bible?

2008-05-03T21:31:00.000-05:00

Tonight we're in Durant, Oklahoma getting ready to conduct a Prayer Seminar for the Bokchito Church of Christ here in the area.

Steve and Barbara Summers have showed us some gracious hospitality. They have a heart to see the Lord's church become a house of prayer, which is why we're here and ready to speak to their group tomorrow.

One topic I usually try to work into the program at such seminars is titled "Great Prayers of The Bible". I got the idea, partly, from a well known scholar, Dr. Herbert Lockyer who wrote All The Prayers of The Bible. In the book, he says he counted 650 prayers in the Bible and discovered 450 recorded answers.

I wonder how many of those prayers could be called "great"... great because they were answered, but also because they changed everything at a crucial, historic time.

Here's one earmark I've noticed about great prayers - they're grounded in Scripture.

Notice King Jehoshaphat's prayer for deliverance in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12. It's based on King Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple in 2 Chronicles 6:14-42.

And look at Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:1-19. It grew out of Jeremiah's prophecy in Jeremiah 29:10-14. Daniel prayed the prayer of a lifetime because he knew the word of God and hungered to see it come to pass.

Even the persecuted, disenfranchised church in Jerusalem prayed down heavenly power in Acts 4:23-31 because their praying tapped into the power source of Psalm 2:1-2.

Since prayer's a human activity meant to impact the supernatural, it reflects the human-ness of the ones praying. Sometimes our prayers break the surly bonds of earth and soar... sometimes not.

So, it seems some prayers are greater than others. Which prayers in Scripture do you think deserve to be called "great"?

How do you keep a prayer group together 14 years?

2008-05-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

What's the least popular meeting at church? Often it's the prayer meeting; announce one and watch most members head for the hills.

So how come prayer groups keep happening, some of them with amazing longevity? Like the Moravians, whom many credit with the founding of the modern missions movement.

They once formed a 24-hour prayer chain where at least two people were praying each hour of the day - 48 volunteers at a time covering each hour of each day. Their prayer chain lasted 100 years!

Our prayer group here at Calhoun hasn't lasted that long (yet) but it has outlasted most such groups. We've been praying together now for fourteen years.

Sometimes we have three or four praying, sometimes as many as twenty. People have come and gone, the group has changed, but we're still meeting for prayer every Tuesday night.

How come? How have we kept the group praying together that long? What's the secret?

Well, the secret is... there isn't a secret. In fact, WE haven't kept the group together, the Lord Himself has. I know that sounds super-spiritual, but the fact is, when our prayer group started we had only planned to meet once and pray for one of our members headed to surgery the next day.

When we finished, one of the women in our group suggested, "All of you come to our house next Tuesday night and we'll pray some more."

We met that next Tuesday, and have been meeting for prayer every Tuesday (with only five or six interruptions) for fourteen years.

To make a long story short (too late now?), any prayer group that lasts more than a few times has to be a "God-thing". It has to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. And it has to be the result of a hunger for prayer among the larger group, which results in a small prayer group that lasts.

So, how can you foster such a group? Here's a novel idea - pray for it. Pray for such a group to form and to continue.

"You don't get what you want because you don't ask God." -James 4:2 ERV

National Day Of Prayer May 1 2008

2008-04-26T18:10:00.001-05:00

National Day of Prayer this week

2008-04-26T17:40:00.000-05:00

What are you planning to do for the National Day of Prayer?

This yearly event, which has roots as far back as the Continental Congress and its call to prayer in 1775, marshals all prayer warriors to intercede for our nation.

In 1863, President Lincoln called for a national day of "humiliation, prayer and fasting" and in 1952 a joint resolution by congress, signed by President Truman, made it an annual event. In 1988 President Reagan set the day at the first Thursday of each May, which is the day we will gather this week - on May 1st.

To see the events planned nationwide, and get info on the NDP, go to the National Prayer Committee's website at http://www.ndptf.org.

Our local prayer group is meeting with Community Prayer Partners for a prayer breakfast in West Monroe, Louisiana. It's a gathering of many denominations and groups; we'll spend the first of our morning together praying for this nation.

I hope you'll check out the NDP website and find an event near you.

When did your prayer life come alive?

2008-04-19T15:36:00.000-05:00

Years ago I couldn't find the handle to what makes a church wake up. I worked, preached and visited, but nothing took hold. I was a new preacher fresh out of school. I had lots of recipes for church growth, yet I couldn't stir the old congregation to life.

But one day I came across The Power of Prayer by R.A. Torrey. It changed everything and sent me back into the Scriptures to discover the fascinating world of prayer within the Bible (and other books as well).

Then I heard Albert Lemmons teach a prayer seminar. I sat amazed that one of our own (within the Restoration Movement) had majored in this life of prayer. I was hooked.

So, what hooked you? Give us some favorite resources that made your prayer life come alive...

Why people fascinated Jesus

2008-04-17T16:12:00.000-05:00

People fascinated Jesus. How many conversations do you remember where he probed their personalities?

He looked at the rich young ruler, loved him, and searched for a way past his money and into his heart. He gently rebuked Martha because her worry and tight schedule robbed him of time with her. He marveled at the Centurion's mature faith. And he stood amazed at the lack of it in his own hometown.

It seems Jesus had a thing about faith. Like a prospector panning for gold, he gazed into each personality to draw out faith's intriguing glow.

People of faith, who weren't always of Israel, fascinated him - the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15), the Centurion (Matthew 8) and the woman who touched the hem of his robe (Matthew 9).

He even plans to be searching the human race for faith when he returns in his Coming (Luke 18:8).

Not only does faith get Jesus' attention, but it makes him happy. When he sees faith, he's thrilled! Don't believe it? Read Hebrews chapter eleven. Meditate on verse six - "And without faith it is impossible to please God..."

Since all this is true, maybe faith plays a larger role than we've imagined, especially in our prayer life (Mark 11:22-25 comes to mind immediately).

So where do I start? What's the beginning, the ground-zero of faith? I think it starts with understanding this - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

Certainty. That's the state of mind called "faith". Call it certitude, persuasion, conviction, or even stubbornness, faith is being sure. It has no doubt. It doesn't waver. (Question: Since faith is being sure, and salvation comes by faith, am I saved if I'm not sure I'm saved?)

When it comes to prayer, faith has no doubt that it will get the answer!

So, how do I get to that point of certitude?

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17 NIV).

Big league praying

2008-04-10T16:27:00.000-05:00

Prayer is a human activity, even though it reaches out to the eternal. That's the fundamental reason why some prayers move God to action and some don't. As a human activity, we don't always get it right.

But once in a while, in Scripture, you see prayers that changed everything. Moses praying down a reprieve for fallen Israel. King Jehoshaphat praying down victory in a battle he didn't even have to fight. Elijah praying down a multi-year drought.

Like a ball player moving to the big leagues, some of the Bible's citizens prayed at a level unknown by the listless masses. Why? What made their prayers different?

Take the case of Moses. Like a ship's wise captain, he anchored his prayers in solid ground... in what Jehovah had already said.

Look at Exodus 32:13 (NIV) - "Turn from your fierce anger... Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them...'" (Moses realized Jehovah couldn't fulfill that promise if He destroyed them all.)

And take the case of Jehoshaphat. Three tribal armies had amassed forces coming to destroy Judah. Jehoshaphat called for a prayer session at the temple, and led the proceedings himself. Look at his prayer in 2 Chronicles 20 and you'll see him put its whole weight down on what Jehovah had already said. You'll also see one of the most famous victories in the Old Testament.

And what about Elijah? James called him "a man just like us" but then said Elijah's amazing prayer stopped up the heavens and brought drought on unfaithful Israel.

Like Moses and Jehoshaphat, Elijah knew how to locate the rock that could support his prayer's weight. He placed it squarely on what God had already said.

I don't think Elijah created the content of his prayer (to bring drought on Israel) out of his own imagination. In fact, there's a precedent for thinking that Israel's fall into paganism would produce a drought.

I think Elijah based his prayer on Deuteronomy 11:13-17. Look at the two-way promise: if Israel is faithful to Jehovah, rain (and prosperity) will continue, but if the nation turns away to worship other gods, "Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce..."

Elijah was a man just like us, but he was just bold enough to hold God to what He had already said.

Anchor your prayers in what the Rock has already said, and you'll pray with the big-leaguers.

Why God waits for you to pray

2008-04-08T09:39:00.000-05:00

The book I wrote on that subject - Why God Waits For You To Pray - came about because that question puzzled me... and evidently stumps others as well.

Why does God wait for humans to ask... if He does?

I think you have to answer that last part first. Does God actually wait for people to pray before He acts?

Think about it. When did God decide to release Israel from slavery in Egypt? After they asked (Exodus 2:23-24). When did He decide not to destroy Israel in the wilderness? After Moses interceded (Exodus 32).

When did God give Hannah a son? After she prayed (1 Samuel 1:10-20). When did He give King Hezekiah fifteen more years of life? After he cried out in prayer (Isaiah 38:1-6).

When did the Father resurrect Jesus, saving him from (out of) death? After intense prayer (Hebrews 5:7).

I could go on. According to Dr. Herbert Lockyer's book, All The Prayers of The Bible, the Scriptures record 650 prayers and 450 answers, which came after they prayed.

That's why James wrote, "You don't get what you want because you don't ask God." (James 4:2 ERV).

So it seems easy to recognize through Scripture that God waits for us to ask. But, why?

In How To Pray, R.A. Torrey answered by saying, "Because there is a devil."

Since we're "behind enemy lines" we must take the initiative to ask God into this fallen world, or He won't act. That's because this world lies in a war zone with three "wills" competing for it: Satan's will, Mankind's will and God's will.

When God gave this world to man in the Garden of Eden, and man then rejected God's help and fellowship, the world fell under Satan's dictatorship. (Note Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8:3-7 & 1 John 5:19).

All this being true, the believer must actively reject Satan's dictatorship and purposely invite God back into the human condition.

Otherwise, He waits.

A horse named faith

2008-04-04T09:33:00.000-05:00

Children have a powerful link to the other world (Matthew 18:1-4). They haven't become jaded yet, so they can see things most of us miss.

And children don't pray like adults. We tend to edit our prayers, throwing in disclaimers here and there to buttress against disappointment. But children just pray. They know what they want and they go after it with enthusiasm.

Through her work, my wife knows a family with a remarkable story about childlike faith. It seems their granddaughter, Hannah, passionately loves horses, takes riding lessons, and has always wanted a horse of her own.

Recently the family went to a local trade-day flea market where St. Jude's Children's Hospital raffle tickets were being sold to win a horse. Hannah begged to buy a ticket. After some discussion she received $5.00 and bought a chance on the horse.

She took the ticket home and prayed every day that she would win. She told everyone she would win. She also said that when (not if) she won the horse, her name would be "Faith".

You guessed it. Out of 2,500 tickets sold, Hannah's won the horse! The mare is now stabled and waiting to be trained so Hannah can ride.

I know what you're thinking. What about all those kids (and adults, too) who bought tickets, wanting the horse, but are disappointed? How many wished for the horse and wish they had won?

The answer is found in Mark 11:22-24. Jesus said, "...whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (11:24 NIV).

Faith isn't just wishing. Faith is talking and acting as if the prayer is already answered. (You can't do that without spending some time in His word searching out His promises.)

Faith moves heaven because it pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). In fact, without it, you can't even please the Father. He doesn't answer based on wishes, or even based on my needs... he answers because one has faith in Him.

What good is prayer without faith?

2008-04-01T15:47:00.000-05:00

Jesus said the prayer of faith can move mountains. And James wrote that it can make the sick person well. So why have I spent so much time trying to pray without the force of faith?

I guess I've been listening to the wrong voices.

Madison, Wisconsin: Badger Stadium, 1982. Michigan State continued to pound the University of Wisconsin in a lopsided football game. Wisconsin fans sat wallowing in self-pity hoping the game would end soon... except for a few weird fans in the top row.

They kept bursting out in cheers, ignoring their team's horrible humiliation. And the cheers kept coming, seeming to have nothing to do with the game.

Finally, some annoyed fans asked them why they were cheering while their team was losing. The answer is priceless.

They were listening to their other team, the Milwaukee Brewers, on portable radios as they were winning game three of the World Series!

Praying in faith means listening to the right voice - the Word of God - and not focusing on circumstances. Yes, faith is believing that God can... but it's also believing that he will.

So, how do I (a mere mortal) know for sure what God will do? It's simple. I see it in His word. I believe it. I become convinced of it. Then I pray. And much of my praying becomes thanksgiving for His answers that I know will come because He said so.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17 NIV).

A great workshop tackles a glorious subject

2008-03-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

This week we're headed to the International Soul Winning Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We're excited about it because the theme this year is "Prayer: Our Declaration of Dependence."

It all begins on Thursday, March 27th and ends on the 29th at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. Our Prayer Ministry makes the trip each year, sets up a display booth (along with hundreds of others) and invites attendees to our own Prayer Enrichment Workshop in the fall.

Although we go each year, this trip will be special. Why?

Because of the emphasis on prayer. We're excited about it because everything good starts with a prayer.

Don't believe it? Note what Jesus' own brother said about it: "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." (James 1:16-17 NIV).

Then he said, "You do not have, because you do not ask God." (James 4:2b NIV).

Wow! That's short and pointed. Without prayer, we lack. With it, we soar. Doesn't that make you want to learn more about these amazing promises?

See you at Tulsa.

Why so much talk about prayer?

2008-03-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

How did I get so sold on emphasizing prayer in kingdom work?

For one thing, I couldn't understand the gap - you know, the contrast between the spiritual deadness I saw in some of today's churches and the spiritual power of believers in the New Testament.

And another thing bothered me - how quick we are to divide and split churches over almost any issue. In a book called Free In Christ, Cecil Hook lists 100 issues, big and small, that have divided Christians in the Restoration Movement (others have listed even more).

Whether you agree with the book or not, you have to acknowledge that we are a divided people. And our divisions are growing each day.

So, what's the answer? Prayer. (Actually, God is the answer, but prayer is the access to His throne of grace.)

Here's why I think prayer is that important. When the great apostle Paul uncovered deep divisions in the Corinthian church, he pointed out the root cause:

"You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?" (1 Corinthians 3:3 NIV).

The word his uses in the Greek isn't "worldly" but "fleshly" or of the flesh. In other words, he's contrasting the spiritual man and the man who lives a world-oriented life in the flesh. Yes, even born-anew Christians can do that. (If you read the whole section from 1 Corinthians 2:6 through 3:17, you'll see his complete argument.)

He also said they couldn't understand spiritual things, spiritual wisdom or spiritual power. "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV).

His phrase "the man without the Spirit" is actually psuchikos de anthropos in the Greek language - or "man of the soul". This means the man who operates from what he thinks in his mind or feels in his emotions, rather than being led by the Spirit of God.

So, our unspiritual nature stands convicted as the root cause of our deadness and petty divisions. We must grow spiritually if we want to overcome these. It isn't a matter of being a better debater or propping up dying churches with the latest religious fad. It means falling on our faces before a holy God and repenting of our careless and misguided attempts at humanly-constructed "spirituality".

It also means being "led by the Spirit" (Romans 8:14) and letting that Spirit of sonship cry out to our Abba, Father through us.

Question. Is there any way to be spiritual (of the Spirit) without prayer? Is there any way to truly know God the Father without prayer?

Why prayer and revival are twins

2008-03-16T16:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a website about prayer and revival that I find fascinating... www.evanwiggs.com/history.html.

It'll give you insights (maybe sometimes disturbing ones) into how revival happens, and the link between prayer and spiritual renewal.

Here's a recap of one of the stories:

Off the western coast of Scotland, a powerful revival arrived during 1949-52.

One convert was Donald, a fifteen-year-old boy who became one of the most amazing intercessors in the area.

The preacher, Duncan Campbell, visited the boy’s home one day and found him on his knees in the barn with his Bible open.

When interrupted he quietly said: "Excuse me a little, Mr. Campbell, I'm having an audience with the King."

Powerful outpourings of the Spirit would occur when this boy prayed.

Once in the police station in Barvas he stood up, simply clasped his hands together, and uttered one word - "Father." Everyone was melted to tears as the Presence of God invaded the house.

And in Bernera, a small island off the coast of Lewis, as Duncan Campbell was preaching, the atmosphere was heavy and preaching difficult, so half way through his sermon he stopped.

Just then he noticed this boy, visibly moved and praying. Leaning over the pulpit he said: "Donald, will you lead us in prayer?"

The boy rose to his feet and in his prayer referred to the fourth chapter of Revelation: "Oh God, I seem to be gazing through the open door. I see the Lamb in the midst of the Throne, with the keys of death and of hell at His side."
He began to sob; then lifting his eyes toward heaven, cried: "O God, there is power there, let it loose!"

With the force of a hurricane the Spirit of God swept into the building and the floodgates of heaven opened.
(See more at http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/history/hebpray.html).

When I read such accounts, I know that the awesome manifestations of God's work on earth wouldn't happen without hidden heroes of prayer.

How to pray through the guilt

2008-03-14T22:52:00.000-05:00

When it comes to prayer, guilt makes cowards of us all. It can drain the juice right out of an otherwise lively prayer. Feeling like an impostor, I'm afraid I don’t deserve God’s ear.

But I get encouraged when I see a man like Jacob pray boldly in the face of a long list of reasons why guilt should’ve intimidated him. Born into one of the richest families in the ancient east, Jacob’s nature (and even his name – “heel-grabber”) leaned toward the dishonest. His con-artist ways soon merged with his own mother’s shady disposition, so they tricked Esau out of his inheritance rights as the older brother.

But this trick soon soured Jacob’s enire life. Esau vowed to kill him, so mother sent Jacob away to their equivalent of the witness protection program – living with relatives in another country. Now penniless, Jacob hiked hurriedly toward a shadowy future with distant relatives. As far as he knew, his future was history.

Yet at this low point, Jacob encounters the God of his ancestors. Jehovah arrests the broken young man as he’s running from his past, trying to get some restless sleep on a pile of rocks.

Note the covenant language: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you… the land on which you are lying. I will bring you back to this land.” (Genesis 28:13 NIV)

Armed with this amazing promise, Jacob slowly builds a life among his mother’s relatives, and even regains much of his wealth. But just when Jacob starts enjoying a little affluence in his new life, God speaks again: “I am the God of Bethel… Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land. (Genesis 31:13 NIV)

Jacob wants to return, but he's married to his guilt and the offspring of the wedding is fear. How will he ever deal with Esau's violent hatred? Stirring up his faith, Jacob decides to obey and head home.

But once on the road, something happens that resurrects his dying fears; Jacob gets word that Esau is coming toward his caravan with 400 men! His heart sinks. Why does Esau need 400 men just to welcome him home? It’s clear what Esau intends to do.

In this blood-chilling circumstance, Jacob’s guilt must’ve laid heavily on his chest each time he tried to breathe. All he could cling to now was Jehovah's word. Quieting his guilt and grounding his prayer in the covenant agreement, Jacob calls God into account for what He has promised, challenging Him to stand behind His own words – “O LORD, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper…’ Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau… “ (Genesis 32:9-12 NIV)

And the answer came: “Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”

Why aren't more prayers answered?

2008-03-11T09:18:00.000-05:00

Isn't that the killer question about prayer... "why don't my prayers get answered?"

A woman once asked me that right after I taught a prayer seminar on a ship in the Caribbean. Her husband had recently died with cancer, even though she strenuously prayed for him to live. It was a tough question, and I wasn't sure how to answer it.

But later when I took the time to investigate the question in Scripture, I found scores of reasons why prayers go unanswered.

Here's one of the most disturbing reasons I found: every prayer I pray is filtered through my spirit.

If I'm spiritually unhealthy, my prayers arrive at the Father's throne infected. They appear shredded and beyond recognition. Dead on arrival.

That's why the Spirit said through Isaiah, "When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen... Take your evil deeds out of my sight!" (Isaiah 1:15-16 NIV).

And it's why Jesus ended his amazing teaching on faith and prayer by saying, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him..." (Mark 11:25 NIV).

Don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to blame hurting people for their own predicament. I'm pointing out a key to understanding the dynamics of prayer... Unanswered prayers aren't God's fault.

As long as I blame God for not hearing me... then I've shut down all my options. Blame God, and where else can I go for help?

Prayer (which is conversation with God) is still a human activity and subject to errors and misunderstandings.

Which means, I still have lots of homework to do before my prayer life reaches the next level.

Why did they pray so much?

2008-03-07T10:03:00.000-06:00

Read books about prayer and you'll find stories of people who prayed hour after hour and seemed obsessed with prayer.

E.M. Bounds, a Chaplain during the Civil War, wrote about such people (read anything you can find by Bounds). In his book called Power Through Prayer, he told about John Welch, a Scottish preacher, who thought his day was wasted if he didn't pray eight to ten hours.

And Bounds told about Charles Simeon who prayed from 4:00 until 8:00 AM each day. And John Wesley, who prayed two hours each day, beginning at 4:00 AM. And John Fletcher who prayed so much that he stained the wallpaper in his room with his warm breath as he leaned against it night after night.

Remarkable! But why did these people pray so much? Was it from some warped legalistic psyche? Were they trying to earn something? Didn't they understand grace? Were they obsessed? (Or obsessive-compulsive?)

I think they prayed that much for a simple reason... they wanted to.

And I think Jesus would approve. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Jesus "scheduled" his prayer time... early, often and at length. "One of those days Jesus went out on a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." (Luke 6:12 NIV). After praying all night long, he chose the Twelve.

I wonder if those who seem abnormally obsessed with prayer (conversation with God) actually appear normal to Him?

How to mutilate a prayer

2008-03-06T15:17:00.000-06:00

I've begun to be careful about asking others to pray for me. At least, I've started editing the people/groups I want praying for me or mine.

Here's why. Sometimes when we ask others to pray for us, they agree, and then immediately sabotage their own prayers.

Here's how it works. They pray, "Lord, please help ______ to get well..." (or whatever the request) and then they proceed to cut the heart out of their prayer with their own tongue:

"I just heard _____ has a terrible disease... he probably won't make it... I had a cousin who died with that disease within weeks of the diagnosis... nobody ever recovers from that...", etc.

I know what you're thinking. At least they're praying. Does it really matter what they say in casual conversation?

Well, Solomon said, "Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed." (Proverbs 11:11 NIV).

And, "The tongue has the power of life and death..." (Proverbs 18:21 NIV).

Maybe that's why James, one of Jesus' brothers, said that the tongue can set the whole course of a person's life "on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." (James 3:6 NIV).

Strong words! These wise people knew that the human tongue operates the levers - to either bless or curse. And the tongue can mutilate a prayer until it's beyond recognition.

That's why I'm trying to discipline my tongue to agree with my prayers. I agree with King David: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD... Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." (Psalm 19:14 & 141:3 NIV).

What on earth in heaven's name is a blog?

2008-03-05T11:26:00.000-06:00

It's the ugliest word in English - blog (I'm told it's short for web log).

But, blogs have changed everything. Now anyone with the proverbial axe can spout off about almost anything. Do we really need another blog in the blogosphere?

No, but this one may be different. It'll look at all sides of a powerful dynamic - what is prayer and why are we (no matter what religion) so fascinated by it?

So, let's start by looking at this top-of-the-list troubling question about prayer... if God cares and prayer really works, why do so many prayers go unanswered?

Could it be that prayers go unanswered because God is waiting on us? In some way, are we are sabotaging our own prayers?

I just wrote a book about that subject - "Why God Waits For Us To Pray."

Let me know what you think. And how you deal with these puzzling conundrums about prayer...

Thanks for reading.